Tag, You're It
by With Victory Comes Sacrifice
Summary: "He's in love. His first love. You remember what that's like?" Theo Raeken said only too idly. "Trust me, I remember." Little did anyone know, Theo remembered only too well. It might have been twisted, strange, full of supernatural phenomenons, and a downward spiral into the abyss, but it was love. Theo/OC
1. First Encounter

Her hands were shaky and covered in sweat, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. Pressing the gas pedal with determined furiosity, the only thing on her mind was her destination.

Turning a corner and seeing all of the police cars and fire trucks, she finally slammed on the brakes. She wasted no time jumping out of her small grey Mazda and slamming the door shut.

The loud noise attracted quite a bit of attention, but she ignored the turning heads. She jogged up to the police tape and glared at the officer that didn't let her pass.

"This is a crime scene," the officer said. The girl wanted to spit something sarcastic at his lame statement, something along the lines of: _"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."_ Instead she raised her eyebrows.

"Rebecca?" Hearing her name, the girl tore her eyes away from the stoic officer, only to see the chief policeman. He was close enough to recognize her in the faint illumination coming from the various cop cars around them. She could see his face too, and it instantly became wary. "You shouldn't be here."

"My mom's here," She replied. That meant nothing to him, obviously. He was used to her trying to interfere with police business because of that 'excuse', as he called it. "And he was my friend."

His mouth creased into a thin line. He was middle aged, but blamed her for his greying hair. He said in a gruff voice: "I don't care if he was your Godfather. It's twelve o'clock on a Tuesday. Go home."

"Sheriff! They found something on the-" A woman appeared from the swarm of officers. Her eyes were instantly drawn to Rebecca, and she stopped mid sentence, scowling. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Mom," Rebecca greeted pathetically, withering ever so slightly under her mother's venomous glare.

"If you'll excuse me for one moment, Sheriff." Rebecca's mother walked under the tape and wasted no time gruffly grabbing her by the elbow and yanking her away from the crime scene. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Gus told me that you had been called in when I went looking for you," Rebecca immediately responded. She desperately tried to keep whatever shred of dignity she had left and not stumble on her own two feet as onlookers watched their interaction with wide eyes. "Mom, he told me all about what you found on the body. Mercury? What the hell kind of murderer uses _mercury?"_

"Police business is not your business, Rebecca," her mother fumed, steam nearly erupting from her ears. "And I'll be damned if I let you snoop around in any of our professional cases-"

They had reached Rebecca's car, and her mother at long last released her daughter from her terse grip. Rebecca shook out her arm, looking her mother dead in the eye with a low voice so as not to be overheard.

"Mom, you know you need me for these types of cases," Rebecca insisted. She would go on her knees and beg if she had to. "How are you going to explain the body? Gus said that he had claws on him. _Claws!_ He's in my biology class, and I can assure you he didn't have claws then!"

"May I remind you, young lady, that you are not in any position to be making such outrageous demands. And you can tell Gus to shut his trap, because he has no right to be telling you confidential information," her mom snapped, making Rebecca sit back on her heels.

"Mom, you're the Deputy for goodness sake! And you're at an advantage because you know what's really going on!" Rebecca pleaded.

"That's right," her mother said, opening the car door and ushering for her to get inside. "And I don't need my teenage daughter to come rushing in and trying to pretend she even remotely understands what's going on. Get in your car, and _go home. Now."_

Rebecca gave her mother one last disgusted glare before sinking into her seat. She slammed the car door shut once again.

Rebecca wiped her hands on her jeans, putting her face in her hands. Rebecca's strawberry blond hair hung in a greasy mess around her head. She groaned in frustration, nails digging into her skull before she straightened, starting the ignition and pulling away.

Rebecca's thumbs were kept busy, tapping a tuneless melody on her wheel as her mind went a million miles an hour. She felt the same amount of panic as she did when she was rushing towards the crime scene. Gus had explained that mercury was pooling in a puddle mixed with blood. Definitely a werewolf, judging by the claws, but a tail that had been cut off, but found down the street by her mother suggested kanima.

The kid who showed up dead - his name was Omar, if she recalled correctly - hadn't showed up for class for a solid week before turning up dead. And in that week, who the hell knows what could have happened to him? He could have been bit, or tortured, or both, or-

Rebecca was suddenly blinded as two pairs of headlights flew around a corner, and the vehicle attached to them was speeding straight for her.

Letting out a piercing scream, she violently swerved to the right, and the headlights, she could see, turned out of the way as well. Slamming the breaks with all the force she could muster, she sat numb and panting, adrenaline causing her to tremble but making her unable to move simultaneously.

Letting out a deep, but shaky breath, she found it in herself to muster the anger she needed to confront the idiot driver that nearly killed her.

Climbing out of her car and stepping back to check if there was any damage, she was amazed to see that apparently the vehicle that nearly collided with hers turned right as well.

Spinning around to face it, she saw in the dim light a blue pick up truck, with the driver just now climbing out.

"What the hell is your problem?" Rebecca exclaimed, arms raising at her sides as if to emphasise her words. Normally she wouldn't be this furious, but her emotions were heightened and her heart was pounding to so hard it almost hurt. "Are you in the middle of a drag race or something? Because I'm pretty sure doing one hundred in a fifty zone is illegal."

The driver, after inspecting the damage of their own vehicle, sauntered out halfway across the street to confront her. In the shadows, she saw what was obviously a guy, rubbing the back of his neck as if suffering from whiplash.

"Yeah, sorry about that," the guy offered, giving her an apologetic expression. "I was in a hurry, actually, and I didn't really see you until it was too late."

The way he kept rubbing his neck was beginning to make her nervous. Abandoning all her anger, she took a few more steps and they were soon only a few feet away.

"Hey, are you alright?" Rebecca asked, cocking her head with a concerned look in her eye. The guy smiled. She realized for the first time that he was actually quite attractive. The glint in his eye made it seem like he was teasing her about her quickly evaporated frustration. He dropped his arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he reassured. Something about him was off-putting. His tone of voice sounded sincere, but his smirk and that strange glint in his gaze made it seem like everything he said was just to mock her. "How about you? Is your car damaged? I'll pay for anything-"

"Nah, we're both fine." Rebecca gestured to her car then shrugged. She pursed her lips as if she didn't quite want to give him a smile of insistence quite yet.

He nodded slightly. "Good. You know, I'd love to chat, but I wasn't lying about being in a hurry."

He jerked his thumb to his truck while starting to turn away. Rebecca nodded, mimicking him. His mouth twitched again, as if he could tell that Rebecca was intentionally trying to mock him. "Yeah, okay. Just try to stay in the speed limit."

He omitted a sarcastic laugh, and said; "I'll try."

Rebecca turned away, opening her car door when she heard his voice again.

"Right, before I forget: I never caught your name," the guy said. He was practically calling from across the street, but he didn't seem to care. He was facing her, arms out and hands pointing at her.

She didn't know what this guy's game was, but for some reason, Rebecca smiled. It wasn't out of humor, more because she felt like in this sort of situation, she should be running as far away from him as she possibly could.

"Rebecca. Rebecca Virk," she said, listless humor in her voice. "You?"

"Theo. Theo Raeken," he responded. There it was again, his smirk and the way he so blatantly teased her. "I guess I'll see you around then."

She raised her eyebrows and gave him another smile, as if she sincerely doubted that. Or maybe she just sincerely hoped not.


	2. Monkey Brain

The day was bright and cheerful, but Rebecca was far too busy drowning in her own thoughts to think of the shining sun as anything more than a nuisance. Laying with her back against a patch of grass, she pretended to nod along with whatever was being said to her.

Kanima-werewolves. What kind of messed up D.N.A. did Omar have? One part of him accepted the wolf, the other didn't? How did Gus not pick up on any traces of strange activity?

Rebecca secretly hoped that next an idiot with wings would happen so that the boy yammering in her ear would sprout some, be picked up on the breeze, and fly away from her.

"Wow," Rebecca tried to summon any ounce of emotion she could spare into that single word, and it still ended up sounding flat and bored.

"You know, Becks, I'd hate to pull you out of your concious slumber, but you can't just keep saying 'that's crazy' and 'great' every few minutes and call it a conversation," Rebecca's friend snorted, causing her to give him a disapproving glare.

"That's why I said 'wow' this time," Rebecca responded. Her hands were supporting her head and her legs were crossed. "Listen, Ren. It's been a long day."

"I know, I know, you're tired," Ren said, rubbing his own eyes as if her exhaustion somehow effected him. "Weird ass hybrid supernatural creatures are _not_ going to give me warm and fuzzy dreams tonight."

"How the hell could it be a Kanima _and_ a Werewolf?" Rebecca exclaimed, exasperation evident in her voice. She shifted, turning to she could face Ren to show just how clueless she was. Working over possible solutions for hours only left her frustrated.

"Alien invaders," Ren deadpanned. "We all know the government's being run by lizards, maybe Omar was one of them-"

"Ha ha, you comedic genius," Rebecca rolled her eyes, trying to settle into the ground once more, but soon becoming restless and sat up to look at her friend eye to eye. "But seriously. We have enough weirdness in this town without this. Even Gus hasn't heard of anything like this..."

"Gus? The ancient werewolf officer that never smiles?" Ren asked, eyebrows raised. "Becks, who the hell knows what that guy really thinks, or knows. Just because he owns a beastiary doesn't make him invincible."

"I know!" Rebecca said, picking a twig out of her braided hair. "I just don't want to be stumbling in the dark all the time. I hate it!"

"You're stressing about one little incident, Becks," Ren shook his head, returning his gaze once again to the football field where jocks were laughing and tumbling, enjoying the autumn weather. "Omar was gone for a week. He might have left town! This probably doesn't even concern us."

Rebecca had nothing to say to that. Instead, she leaned back on her hands, observing the field as well. They sat in silence, but the unsaid thoughts between them were practically deafening.

She was so distracted, she barely noticed when Ren firmly placed his hand on top of hers.

Jumping a bit from the sudden movement, it took her a second to comprehend what was happening. Recovering quickly, she shoved Ren's arm away so forcibly he lost balance and fell flat on his back.

He huffed in pain, but Rebecca was too furious to care what damage she caused him.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded. "Are you trying to read me? _Seriously?"_

"Becks, you're starting to really freak me out here," Ren admitted, sitting up and rubbing his arm. "I just have to make sure that's all you're worried about-"

"Yeah? Well next time how about you ask me like a normal person instead of trying to read my mind, ass-hat," Rebecca fumed, crossing her arms like a pouting child. "Just because you're a half-monkey monster thing doesn't mean that you can use your weird Satori powers on me, Monkey Brain!"

Ren was taken aback by her vicious rage. His mouth flopped open and shut, but soon his eyebrows creased. "Don't call me that, Airhead!"

Rebecca made a face at him, but before they could continue hurdling jabs at one another, a school bell chimed through the air, signalling the start of last period.

Ren made a pained expression, looking at Rebecca with pleading eyes. "I hate biology."

"Well, I'm definitely not skipping with you now," Rebecca shook her head, her grin somewhat mischievous. "So you're on your own to do your special monkey business."

"Are you sure?" Ren said, wiggling his eyebrows and making Rebecca clench her teeth. She hated whenever he read her mind. He always knew how to blackmail her afterwards."Because that guy you met yesterday - _Mr. Theo Raeken_ \- is in that class with us."

Rebecca visibly faltered, blinking and trying to recall some trace of him from her memories in that class. "Are you sure?"

"He sits a few seats in front of us, dumbass," Ren rolled his eyes at Rebecca. "He's the guy Kamilla won't shut up about. She even says she thinks he's a-"

Rebecca suddenly abandoned all of her fleeting happy emotions and sunk back into her sea of misery.

"Let's just go," Rebecca mumbled, cutting her friend off briskly and trudging towards the school, leaving a very confused Ren in her wake.

* * *

Sure enough, Theo Raeken was seated a few desks in front of where her and Ren sat. Ren looked at her, concern evident on his face as Rebecca looked at Theo with a cocked eyebrow and an intensity in her eye that would make eyes water just observing it.

"Hey, I know he was an idiot and nearly crushed your car, but if you keep staring like that, he'll get a restraining order against you," Ren hissed, hiding behind his propped up book, every now and then taking a peak at Theo as well.

"There's something not right about him," Rebecca sighed, picking up the worksheet in front of her and reading it numbly. "Why was he rushing around the night of a murder? Why don't I know about him at all? Is he new?"

"New as in came at the beginning of the school year just like everybody else, then yes," Ren replied, tapping his fingers against the textbook he held in front of his face. "As for the rest, how the hell should I know? I haven't been near him at all. Haven't gotten the chance to. But it is weird how quickly he got Kamilla wrapped around his finger."

Rebecca, her brown eyes just peaking over the sheet, looked at the girl sitting beside Theo Raeken, currently smiling and making jokes about the assignment they were doing.

"Oh my God, it's like they're in love!" Rebecca fake gagged as Ren snickered. Theo and Kamilla were laughing and fooling off. "Does this guy use like ten bottles of axe to get people to fall in love with him or something?"

Ren stopped mid laugh. Rebecca, who was writing something down, looked at her friend beside her in concern as he suddenly gasped, burying his face in the book. Out of the corner of his mouth, he whispered: "Oh my God, he's looking."

Rebecca turned back to her sheet too quickly. Sure enough, she could feel someone's gaze staring straight into her soul. Filling in the blank to the question she was on, she barely got to read the next one when her mind was suddenly distracted by the sound of a scraping chair.

She looked up, and saw no one other than Theo Raeken pull up a chair to her and Ren's joined desks. Rebecca's pencil fell from her now limp hand as she could do nothing but watch as Theo sat down and put his hands on the desk with an expression that was a cross between content and victory. Probably because even though he was a foot away from her, he could probably smell the guilt that she felt from being caught talking about him literally behind his back.

"Hey, um, Rebecca, right?" Theo said, pointing at Rebecca when he said her name, his mouth quirking up in a greeting. His eyebrows furrowed slightly when Ren didn't even acknowledge his existence. He quickly turned his gaze back to Rebecca. "And, uh, friend of Rebecca. What are you guys talking about?"

Rebecca cocked her head ever so slightly, picking up her pencil as defiantly as she could. He came over just to call them out. Sure, he had done nothing wrong, but Rebecca wouldn't bend at the knee because he confronted them. The look in his eye made it seem like that was precisely what he wanted them to do, so she wouldn't.

"This is Ren," Rebecca shrugged, jerking her thumb at the boy next to her. In her mind, she just wanted Theo to go away, but Ren had something else planned.

Before she could even open her mouth to say anything else, Ren slammed down his book, looking Theo right in the eye and said: "We were just discussing how you nearly killed Rebecca last night with your crazy driving."

Rebecca's face flushed red as most of the class glanced at their table. She closed her eyes as Ren and Theo stared at each other. Theo was taken aback by the scene Ren had made, but Ren stood by it, unwavering.

"It was an _accident,"_ Theo finally replied, putting emphasis on the word accident. His palms were skyward, as if that made him seem more innocent. His voice was low and calm, trying to soothe Ren into backing down. "I didn't even see her."

Rebecca finally opened her eyes, her blush faded to a dull pink as the teacher glared at them. Ren looked ready to jump out of his seat and swing a punch. Rebecca's hand was pressing against his arm in a second. Despite being on the scrawny side, Ren hand started more fights than practically anyone else she knew. Both boy's attention drifted to her as she gave Ren a wide-eyed look that screamed: _"Calm down!"_

She then turned to Theo, who looked scared. Not scared in the way that he feared for his safety, but scared in the way that he had no idea what kind of drugs Ren had been overdosing on lately. Ren was medication free, but suffered from severe _overreacting-at-every-little-situation_ disorder, and it had wound up in a trip to the principals office more than once in his lifetime.

Not to mention got on Rebecca's nerves when she had to bail him out.

"Sorry, he's just worried," Rebecca said, trying to apologise for Ren's behavior. "It was an accident, I know that. No one got hurt, so I think we should just _let it go_ _."_

At the last part she turned back to Ren and nodded along with her words. Ren shook his arm free and looked at Theo with an odd expression.

"Sounds good to me," Theo agreed, looking at Ren even though he didn't need his forgiveness. Ren ignored both of them.

"Sure. Where were you going in such a hurry yesterday then, Theo?" Ren asked. Rebecca elbowed him in the ribs with an irritated expression. He yelped slightly and whispered to her, "What? It's not like you didn't want to know."

"That's rude, Ren," Rebecca hissed. She took a deep breath and shook her head slightly at Theo. "You don't have to answer. Ren's a bit insensitive."

"Nah, it's fine," Theo said, glancing at Rebecca before looking back at Ren. "I was the one that nearly ran her over. I was on my way to the hospital, my mom had just been sent in for having a heart attack."

Ren raised his eyebrows, but even he cowed a bit. That seemed like a legitimate enough reason. Rebecca immediately softened, but when Theo's gaze drifted to the desk she put her guards back up slightly. He seemed too eager to share and get their sympathy. Ren didn't seem to notice.

"I'm, " Rebecca swallowed, trying not to sound suspicious. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, well," Theo shrugged, looking back up at her. The sadness in his eyes seemed as real as the sympathy in Rebecca's, but she had a feeling they were both faking. "She's not in critical condition, so I guess me and my dad will just have to wait and see."

 _"Too much information,"_ she almost said. It would be so easy to expose him were he sat, but Rebecca bit the inside of her cheek and looked away. Theo Raeken was hiding something else, she could tell. Rebecca nearly missed the way he silently studied her, but when Rebecca noticed she turned her head away to look at Ren.

It felt strange, as if her and Theo were putting on some sort of civil show for Ren. Rebecca knew Theo was withholding something, and Theo now knew that Rebecca was on to him. She tried to keep her emotions steady so she wouldn't seem too guilty.

The people around them seemed to be packing up, and Rebecca looked at the clock, noticing that class was going to be over soon. Trying to hide her relief, she had an excuse to shut down the tense conversation before it dwindled for too long.

Theo had started to stand, opening his mouth for a goodbye when Ren, who already had stood, suddenly reached across the table, ready to grab any exposed skin Theo had.

Rebecca, still sitting, swatted Ren's hand away, and they proceeded to glare at each other. "Nice seeing you, Theo," Rebecca said, her gaze on Ren unwavering, and Theo retreated back to his desk without another word.

"Would you learn to control yourself for three seconds!" Rebecca snarled at her friend, standing so she could tower over the slightly shorter boy. She continued, but quietly so no one would overhear them. "I get that you don't trust him, neither do I. But that doesn't mean you can get away with casually caressing his arm in public."

Ren opened his mouth, ready to retort some smart comment, but his face suddenly went blank. He shouldered his bag and muttered a quiet, "See you later," before hurrying out of the classroom.

The bell rang and she looked over to see what Ren had been so earnest to escape from. She understood as soon as she saw Theo Raeken, staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

Rebecca felt like running too.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Theo asked, making Rebecca's heart sink.

"Um, actually, can this wait? Ren's got to be somewhere right after school and I'm his ride, so," Rebecca said, relief filling her as she had a chance to escape him.

"Okay, well, I'll just talk while we walk then," Theo said, seeming pleased. Rebecca gave an uncertain half-grin, shouldered her own backpack, and started to walk out of the classroom. When Theo spoke she almost tripped over a desk.

"So, you know, since now you know why I was out and about last night," Theo started from somewhere behind her. "I suppose it would be fair for me to know why you were as well."

Rebecca stopped walking in the doorway, and turned to give Theo a questioning look. "Why?"

Theo caught up with her, so they were face to face. She had to crane her head up a bit since he was a few inches taller than her. When he spoke, he sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because someone was murdered last night. It was all over the news, no way you could have missed it."

"And what?" Rebecca asked. "You think I'm the murderer?"

Theo let out another sarcastic laugh, not unlike the one he used last night. "No, but I was just wondering if you know anything about it."

"So," Rebecca said, as if trying to piece something together. She began walking out of the classroom, the hallway almost deserted already. Theo quickly caught up with her. "Now you're, 'Theo Raeken, super secret detective'?"

Theo smirked. "It's just kind of weird, and if you do know anything, well, I want to be ready for it."

"Ready?" Rebecca asked, mocking his choice of words.

"You know, I heard everything you and Ren were saying," Theo admitted, making Rebecca's heart skip a beat. "And you're right. I am new, I moved here in August. It's just a bit overwhelming for me to adjust to a new town, a new school, new people, when there's a murderer running around killing people. So I just ... want to be ready."

Out of all the things Theo had said to her in the short time they'd been aquainted, he had finally said something that didn't make Rebecca question her safety or make her suspicious. In truth, the new potential murderer terrified her as well.

Rebecca looked at him before they descended down a short flight of stairs, and he looked back, giving her a seemingly innocent look. He slightly bit his bottom lip and underneath furrowed eyebrows his eyes pleaded with her silently.

Rebecca knew she wouldn't be able to ignore such a request. "Yeah, actually. I was there."

Rebecca was thankful Theo only gestured for her to continue, not asking why she was there. She wanted to give him as little information as possible.

"I didn't actually see the body, but I heard that it was bloody. And, the weirdest part, is that there was mercury dripping out of almost every orifice," said Rebecca. They reached the bottom step and the exit was now in sight.

"What about those rumors? About the, um," Theo looked behind her in case anyone was listening. Although no one was, he leaned into her slightly anyway. "The claws attached to the body?"

Rebecca gave him a grim expression, but it was obvious he'd believe the rumors if they were true or not, so she decided to humor him. "There were definitely claws, but I heard some officers say it was probably just someone gluing on claws to the victims fingernails to make them seem more, you know, primal."

Her tone sounded reluctant, and bored, as if it wasn't something to make a fuss about. She didn't feel like giving him the _'supernatural creatures ar_ _e actually real'_ talk.

"That's-" Theo searched for the right word. Rebecca looked at him with a cocked brow, ready for whatever was about to come out of his mouth. "Strange."

Rebecca nearly laughed. She would have used 'disgusting', 'inhumane', even 'gross', but 'strange' worked well enough.

"It certainly is," Rebecca nodded, giving him a sympathetic smile. There was something sketchy about this Raeken kid, but he seemed as naïve as anyone. Until he spoke again.

"It's kind of like those stories of, werwolves and stuff, isn't it?"

In her mind, alarm bells were going off like crazy. Her expression, however showed disbelieving humor, as if he had just told a really bad joke. "Yeah, sure. Werwolves."

She chuckled a bit. The stare he had fixed on her was analyzing, and it made her nervous. Theo knew something, and he wanted to know if she did as well. What he didn't know was that Rebecca had been hiding that secret for years and was used to lying about it so blatantly.

She looked up at Theo, still acting clueless. She noticed his face didn't hold any humor and her expression fell.

"You're serious?" Rebecca inquired, incredulously. "You think there are werewolves running around? Where the hell did you come from?"

Rebecca noticed how Theo struggled to regain his composure. He had bought her act. She resisted the urge to laugh. "No, I'm just saying, it's _like_ werewolves."

"I'll remember that, Theo Raeken," Rebecca said, walking backwards and opening the exit with her backpack so he could see the amused expression on her face. "The werewolf detective."

Theo gave her one last questionable smile before turning and going the other direction. As soon as she was out of the building, her face dropped. Who the hell was this kid?


	3. Down the Rabbit Hole

"Theo Raeken? More like: _Theo Fakin',_ " Ren groused, tousling his shiny black hair with one hand while the other supported him against the brick wall of Kamilla's house. "This kid knows about werewolves and stuff, and shows up right when super weird stuff starts happening? What in hell..."

Rebecca couldn't help but laugh. Her back rest upon the same bricks, and even though she wore a black turtleneck to cover herself, she was still freezing. "Great. Now whenever I see him all that's going to come to mind is Theo Fakin'."

"Good," Ren smiled wickedly. Rebecca stuck her tongue out at him. "But personally, I hope I never see him again."

"Well, tough luck because he seemed absolutely in love with you," Rebecca taunted. "He hardly even looked at me. And don't even get me started on Kamilla. They're each others number one fans."

"Who am I a fan of?" Kamilla appeared, her back door squealing loudly and making Ren wince. With her rebelliously curly blond hair pulled back into an obviously last minute ponytail, she looked stressed. "Don't answer that. I don't care."

"Hello there," Ren greeted sardonically. Kamilla gave him a nasty look, and he immediately silenced himself.

"Did you find something?" Rebecca asked, not wanting to sound too earnest but at the same time urgent for answers.

"I did, actually," Kamilla said, though her tone made her sound disgusted by her findings. "And it's weird. Very weird."

Rebecca's stomach dropped. She straightened, facing Kamilla. She waited for her friend to elaborate.

"I need to show you," Kamilla spoke at last, ushering for Ren and Rebecca to follow her. She lead them out beyond her backyard through a rusted gate, and started towards the small forest that stretched on for miles around the entire North side of their town. Rebecca gave Ren a confused look, but before he could do anything, a loud crash made all three of them jump.

Muffled yelling came from the house right beside Kamilla's. Rebecca flinched as suddenly the angry yelling turned into wails of sadness.

"Is that," Ren said, almost at a loss for words. "Connor MonHeim's house?"

"Yep," Kamilla said, trying to sound nonchalant. In truth, Rebecca could tell that all three of them were equally bothered by this piece of information, and by the cries that tore at their ears.

Rebecca turned to Kamilla who was a few paces in front of her. Rebecca's mouth was a thin line, and Kamilla frowned. Ren's gaze was transfixed on the house.

"Maybe we should go see what's going on," Rebecca suggested, worry clawing her insides and bubbling in her voice.

"It'll have to wait," Kamilla shook her head. Ren and Rebecca looked bewildered, and gave their friend a cautious look. Kamilla impatiently rolled her eyes. "Yeah, what I found is probably more important than whatever's going to happen after the MonHeims settle down."

"More important than an angry Wendigo, starving for human flesh, running around ready to eat anyone and everyone?" Ren asked, his question sort of rhetorical. Rebecca's face mirrored what Ren had said. What the hell could be more important than possible deaths at the hand of a raging cannibal?

"Just shut up and come on!" Kamilla snapped. Reluctantly, Ren and Rebecca followed, their insides churning. It was obvious Kamilla was extremely eager to get the entire ordeal over and done with.

* * *

"Who the hell is texting you now?"

When Kamilla's phone beeped for what seemed like the the hundredth time, Ren finally let his curiosity get the best of him. Rebecca gave him a venomous glare.

"None of your business!" Kamilla and Rebecca exclaimed at the same time. Ren huffed and kicked a twig dejectedly.

"We've been walking for almost an hour and it sounds like you've got about fifty secret admirers vying for your attention, and it is annoying the hell out of me," Ren pouted.

"If you must know, Monkey Brain," Kamilla said, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. Ren scowled at his much loathed nickname. "It's Theo."

"Theo? As in, Theo Fakin'?" Rebecca inquired, sounding shocked, but then bringing her hand up to her forehead to hide her face in shame. " _Shit._ I meant Theo Raeken?"

"Yeah," Kamilla said slowly, raising an eyebrow at Ren's sudden giggling. "That's the only Theo I know."

As if to prove this, her phone pinged, her ringtone sounding like the whip from a famous explorer movie. Rebecca and Ren exchanged glances, which didn't go unnoticed by Kamilla.

"Shut up, both of you!" Kamilla hissed indignantly. "Just because you have no friends doesn't mean I'm loners like you two."

"Rebecca knows almost everyone in this stupid town, there, Santa Claws," Ren countered. Kamilla bared her teeth in a warning. "So you can take Theo Fakin' and shove him up your-"

"Ren!" Rebecca shouted, not in the mood to break up a fight. "We hardly even know the guy! Maybe he's not that bad after all. You've talked to him once, remember?"

"Who is the Satori here?" Ren asked, making Kamilla snort and Rebecca groan in agony. "That's what I thought. I have special abilities, I'm able to read people's minds!"

"Only when you touch exposed skin," Kamilla quipped. Ren waved away her notion with the back of his hand.

"I know when something's wrong with situations, or people," Ren explained. He was soon a few paces behind Rebecca and Kamilla, who were tuning him out by this point. "I have an extraordinary mind. If you don't trust me you can't trust-"

His voice was cut off suddenly, followed by a loud thump and a grunt of pain. Rebecca and Kamilla stopped, and turned around at the same time. Ren was no where to be seen.

"Ren?" Rebecca called out uncertainly.

"Down here," Ren called. At first the two girls were confused, not quite sure where 'here' was, but when they found a gaping hole behind a tree stump, they exchanged tired glances.

Walking over to the disturbingly large hole, they leaned in as far as their dared. It was about seven feet deep, and Ren was at the bottom, sitting down among leaves and twigs that had previously hid the hole from the naked eye. Kamilla couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from seeing her friend in such an embarrassing situation.

"Did you just fall in a hole?" Kamilla chortled, Ren scowling at her glee. "Were you unable to sense anything was wrong there, you great and powerful Satori, you?"

"Shut up," Ren snapped angrily as Rebecca's mouth curled into a smile as well. "Get me out of here."

"Why don't you use your extraordinary mind, there, Monkey Brain?" Kamilla nagged, resting her hands on her knees and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh my God, I actually hate you," Ren seethed. He stood up, brushing off his back and analyzing the hole he was in to see if there was any way he could just climb out.

"I'm sure you do, there, Abu," Kamilla nodded. "But actually, this is the thing I wanted to show you guys."

"A hole?" Rebecca asked, a hint of irritation in her tone. She was bent over as well, but raised her head so she could give the girl across from her an unimpressed look. Kamilla had gotten them worked up over a _hole_?

"Hey, it isn't your typical garden seed planting hole," Kamilla defended herself, looking up at Rebecca briefly to give her a knowing expression before calling back down to Ren. "Even though thanks to your idiocy it might be harder to find, look around and see if you can find a cell phone anywhere."

"What kind of phone?" Ren asked, just as annoyed as Rebecca. "Is it going to be in the living room of this cozy little place? Is there a hatch that leads to Narnia?"

"Shut your face and get looking!" Kamilla snapped. "It's a white Blackberry, one that slides out to show the keyboard or something."

Ren got down on his knees, hands burying themselves into the leaves and twigs. Occasionally, he would gag in disgust as insects and spiders crawled over him. Rebecca hoped for Kamilla's sake the phone was somehow important.

"Found it!" Ren raised it above his head in victory, shaking it a little as he rose to his feet. " _Now_ will you get me out of here?"

Rebecca, sinking down to one knee, quickly snatched the phone from Ren's hand and leaned back to safety. Kamilla reached down and helped Ren out of the hole with ease. Rebecca brushed off a few twigs. The phone was obviously deactivated, and the screen had a nasty crack down the centre. It was almost completely caked with dirt, and Rebecca deduced it had to have been down there for quite some time.

Rebecca stood, giving the phone to Kamilla as if her friend would unlock its secrets. "It's certainly a phone."

"Really? I couldn't tell," Kamilla smirked, grabbing the phone amd flipping it over. She rubbed the back, clearing most of the grime stuck to the device with her thumb. Her smirk disappeared and her face turned serious. She held up what she saw to Rebecca, and said it out loud for Ren's benefit. "Omar Dhal."

"It's an engraving," Rebecca thought out loud, her voice going quiet as the sudden realization dawned on her. She blinked, looking at Kamilla as if she wanted some sort of counter to say that her thoughts weren't true. "Oh my God, Omar was down there?"

Ren looked like he was going to be sick, pearing into the hole as if under the dirt and leaves lead a passage to hell. "Why? How? When?"

"I don't know!" Kamilla said indignantly. She rolled her eyes skyward, as if asking the heavens why Ren was sent to punish her in such a way. "That's why I came and got you two. He was in our biology class, and I didn't see anything strange about him, or smell anything for that matter."

Rebecca couldn't look at the hole at all. She looked to her left instead, and examined a tree, trying to assemble her thoughts. Omar had been buried, presumably alive, then turned up dead in a side street with claws and a detached tail.

Suddenly, along the bumpiness of the bark she flit her gaze across, a jagged scratch interrupted the pattern. Blinking and running her eyes across the claw mark two or three more times, she offered her friends a quick, "One second," before climbing over the stump in front of her to investigate.

Kamilla and Ren weren't even paying attention. They were far too busy focusing on the cockroach climbing into Ren's collar, and him shrieking like a banshee as Kamilla laughed at his horror.

Rebecca reached the tree, and noticed that including the original mark, there were five scratches in total. She touched the rough tree bark with her fingerpads and trailed them along the scratch, mimicking the motion the claws would have had to make to create such a deep indent. Whatever did this had a thumb. Rebecca could see one scratch above the other four that devianted from the rest.

Whatever had made those marks couldn't have been much larger than Rebecca herself, seeing as their hands were around the same size. In a flicker of memory, she recalled Omar being only a half inch taller than her.

Rebecca decided to investigate further around the tree, until she could only hear her friends carrying on near the hole, but not see them. There were no more scratches, but in the light only slightly thwarted by the canopy of leaves overhead, she could see a large splatter of what seemed like blood.

Rebecca leaned in closer to investigate, but reeled back when the stench of copper hit her senses. It was definitely blood. But was it Omar's?

Rebecca was ripped out of her thoughts by the sudden realization that Ren and Kamilla's bickering had ceased. Had they left?

"Don't move," Kamilla whispered. Rebecca froze, although she was most likely directing her command towards Ren, who she could hear breathing heavily.

Rebecca closed her eyes and strained her ears to hear what was frightening her friends. Then an inhumane snarl ripped through the air. Rebecca envisioned Kamilla growing fangs, her eyes turning cobalt blue, with claws extended to fight off whatever threatened her.

In response, another, _louder,_ growl ripped through the air. That sound was unfamiliar to Rebecca. It sounded like a real wolf, not just a werewolf like Kamilla.

Opening her eyes slowly, Rebecca put her hand on the bark as if to steady herself. Her heart was pounding so hard, she assumed Kamilla could hear it with ease. Her palms began to pool sweat as she peaked around the tree to get a glance at what was happening.

Kamilla stood, sharp teeth bared as she threatened the wolf, which was only six feet away from where she stood. Ren cowered behind her, visibly shaking in fright as the wolf snarled and growled at Kamilla, ready to attack.

There was a second when Rebecca could see Kamilla weighing her odds. Behind her was a hole. She had to protect Ren, and there was no guarantee if they fought he wouldn't get hurt.

"Run!" Kamilla screamed. She pushed Ren away and he stumbled, almost falling in his haste to escape. Kamilla then turned to the wolf, blue eyes flashing dangerously. She roared directly at it, a final warning. The wolf hesitated, and in that second, Kamilla ran as well. She spun on her heel, jumped clear over the hole, and sprinted as fast as she could.

Rebecca took her cue and pushed off the tree to turn and run as well. Worries flashed through her mind as she sprinted blindly through the forest; how were they to know when they were all safe? Did Ren get away fast enough? What the hell was a wolf doing attacking them alone in broad daylight? How the hell was she going to find her way back?

As Rebecca ran, there was a terrifying moment when she swore she was being pursued, but she lost it quickly, swerving and turning in every direction, trying not to go in a circle.

Even though she felt like she had been running for hours, truthfully it had only been twenty or so minutes. Bursting through a clearing and gasping in shock as the sudden brightness of the sun temporarily blinded her, Rebecca slowed her pace then stopped completely.

Resisting the urge to bend over and fall to the ground, she placed her hands behind her head, squeezing her eyes tight and walking in circles until she regained her composure.

Dropping her hands and examining her surroundings, she jumped almost a foot in the air when she realized someone was sitting down on the grass beside her.

"Kamilla," Rebecca managed to say, grabbing her own heart and forcing it to settle. Her friend looked up and gave her an apologetic smile before looking down and resumed tying her shoelace.

"Sorry, Becks. I thought you heard me." Kamilla sounded only slightly out of breath. She stood, her fair peach skin flushed and red from the sudden excersize. She placed her hands on her hips and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"How'd you even find me?" Rebecca asked, knowing that Kamilla probably had been spending most of her time scrambling after her and Ren.

"It wasn't easy," Kamilla admitted, giving Rebecca a once-over to ensure she wasn't hurt. "You're hard to track, since you can cover your scent so well. I kind of just stumbled across you."

Rebecca nodded. "And Ren?"

Kamilla pulled her phone out of her pocket and shook it in her wrist while displaying the screen to Rebecca. "Texted me a few minutes ago saying he's back at my house. That kid has a better sense of direction than anyone I've ever known. I'll use his scent to track him so we can make it back. Luckily, the kid is so scared he reeks."

"Lucky us," Rebecca grinned, but it faded quickly. The pair started towards the trees again, and she said what they were both thinking. "So what the hell do you think that was back there?"

"Honestly? I don't know," Kamilla admitted, looking concerned. "And truthfully I don't think I could have handled it if I didn't run, but it didn't look like it wanted to attack us. Hell, I don't even think it saw you."

"Then why would it even bother?" Rebecca was stressed again, it was obvious in her raised voice and tense tone. Kamilla put an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know. We should leave all this to Gus. He has to know something," Kamilla suggested. "Because I don't know why a wolf would just show up to scare a bunch of kids, but something about its scent seemed oddly familiar."

* * *

Rebecca, who was furiously scrubbing a pan with her soap-drowned rag, almost exploded when her mother put another plate in the sink.

"Watch it, there, Incredible Hulk," Rebecca's Mom warned, half jokingly. "If you don't ease up on the scrubbing, you'll break it."

Rebecca took a deep breath, trying to steady her heart rate. Her mouth jut out, as if pouting and she steadied her pace until she was rhythmically rubbing the frying pan. The soothing tempo eased her slightly.

"Stressed?" Rebecca's mom asked, but shook her head and raised her hand when her daughter opened her mouth. "Stupid question. Obviously you're beyond stressed. What's up?"

Rebecca didn't even know where to begin. She exhaled, not knowing she was holding her breath at all. "Mom, have you found anything about that murder yet?"

"No," her mother answered, and by the tone of voice she used, Rebecca readied herself for a speech. "That's what you're worried about? Rebecca, listen to me when I say you should not try and weasel yourself into every situation! The murders are being taken care of by professionals, now try and put your mind at ease, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," Rebecca sighed, defeated. She wouldn't win this argument with her mother, but that didn't mean she wouldn't still try and help as much as she could.

Though judging by her mother's analyzing stare, they both realized their definitions of 'help' were very different.

"Come on, Rebecca," her mom said, exasperated. She knew nothing she was saying was getting through to her daughter. Rebecca placed the pan and the washcloth she was using on the counter, turning to face her mother and wiping her hands on her capris to dry them. "I'm sure you have other things to think about! Like school work. Obviously the most important, but things like your friends, sports, _boys_ even."

Rebecca couldn't help a grin from sprouting on her face as her mom gave her a suggestive wink at the last part. However, it turned into a grimace when she thought of one particular boy that had been gnawing at her thoughts.

"You're having boy trouble too?" her mother almost yelled, rubbing her temples with her fingerpads. "Do you ever catch a break? Here's the deal: If he doesn't already know that I - your lovely mother who owns a _gun_ , by the way - am a cop, tell him, and he'll back off. Kapeesh?"

Rebecca let out a genuine laugh, and her mother smiled slightly at the sight of it.

"Maybe," Rebecca agreed, considering the idea. "But he's been bothering my friends too..."

"Oh, we're dealing with a player, huh?" her mom asked, her voice determined, as if she was accepting a challenge. "What's his name? I'll make sure to keep an eye out if I catch him slipping up on social media."

Rebecca wasn't even sure he had social media, but she spilled the name anyway. "Theo Raeken."

"Raeken?" In that instant, all the mirth was sucked out of her mother's expression, and she straightened, leaning into her daughter and placing a hand on the counter. The atmosphere became tense, and Rebecca gave her mother a perplexed look, slightly alarmed and asking for her to elaborate. "I think I know who you're talking about."

Rebecca couldn't help but feel a small sense of victory. She knew something was off about that guy. Yet at the same time, she was worried. He had become quite close to Kamilla, and her being hurt was the last thing Rebecca wanted. She was at a loss for words, but too earnest to stay silent, so she opted to say simply: "Really?"

"Mmhm," her mom replied, her hand on the counter tensing. Rebecca's mother stared at her daughter, as if wishing to glean all the information she could with just a single look. "He was there at the crime scene two days ago, just after you left."

It was Rebecca's turn to become suspicious, but only allowed herself to seem confused so her mother would continue.

"He said he knew the guy too, was in his biology class." That much was true, Rebecca knew. "And when we asked him how the hell he found out, he said he was on his way to meet his mother for something, but he didn't seem like he was in much of a hurry to leave."

Rebecca, though grudgingly, had to admit Ren was right. Theo Fakin' Raeken was spouting lies left, right, and centre. When he had nearly run Rebecca over, he had seemed earnest to reach his destination. Though by what her mother was saying, he wasn't frantic enough to keep driving past a very gory crime scene. Questions rose in her mind but she silenced them for the time being.

"In fact, he hung around and sauntered over to where the tail was found when I finally asked him to leave," her mother said, recalling the memory. "But before he did I asked for identification. Then Constable Virk - you know, the patrol officer - came over to show me something and I had to let him go after he showed me his drivers licence."

Rebecca was speechless. She didn't know whether to sit down to process this guy's motive or to hunt down Theo Raeken and demand he answer all her questions. She had about a hundred for her mother as well, but it was obvious her mom was ready to depart.

"What I'm trying to say is; stay away from him. He may have a pretty face but there was something about the way he strut around the place. He knows something, and you're not getting involved," Rebecca's mother said, pushing off the counter and saying something about getting ready for bed.

Rebecca knew her mother just needed some time to think. She knew she did, but there were dishes to be washed. Groaning quietly so her mother wouldn't hear, she turned back to the sink.

Before she could grab her washcloth, her phone buzzed from its place on the table. Rebecca watched it as it vibrated across the wooden surface. She wasn't sure if she had enough room in her cluttered mind to spare a space for whatever the person messaging her was going to say.

Eventually picking it up and turning it over, she was surprised to see Ren's contact name, Monkey Brain, flashing in the center of her screen. Underneath in all capitol letters, it said:

 _BECKS I THINK I KNOW THE MURDERER'S NEXY TARGET_


	4. Theo Fakin'

Hands wrung in front of her, Rebecca had explained everything she could, and now she just had to wait and pray that something would happen.

The silence between everyone in the room, however, was deafening. Sitting in a small office, there was barely any leg room for the three of them, but luckily they were too submerged in thoughts to breathe, much less move. Rebecca's mother stood to her left, while across from her sat a man about sixty years old, his eyes fixated on something Rebecca couldn't see beyond her head.

Although her impatience ticked like a faulty wall clock in her stomach, Rebecca forced herself to remain calm, waiting for them to process everything Ren had told her, and in turn, she had told them.

"These hybrid creatures," the old man finally said, making Rebecca start slightly at the sudden noise. "I've never heard anything like them before."

"That's because technically they shouldn't even exist," Rebecca's mother exclaimed. "Half of something isn't anything even rumored about."

"And here we are," Rebecca said impatiently. She's had this conversation with practically everyone a million times before, and each time it seemed they drifted farther away from a possible answer. "But now we know the next possible victim, so maybe we can find a pattern to stop the murderer, and protect any future victims."

"We can't find a pattern between two data points, it could be anything," the old man argued. He wasn't trying to ignore her suggestion, just ease her into reality. "We can't do it accurately, anyway."

"So this boy," Rebecca's mother turned to her daughter, arms folded across her chest. Her deputy badge glinted off the sun peaking through a small window, as if to remind everyone who she really was. "Travis DeClair. Ren said he was taken, when?"

"Last night," Rebecca reminded her. "When his sister Mieko was over at the guys's house for a date."

"Mieko? Should we bring her in for questioning?" the older man asked, interest suddenly sparked by a possible lead.

"They already did last night, " Rebecca's mom replied. "She said Travis went to go to the bathroom, and when he took a long time she went to investigate. She found a lot of blood, an open window, and no Travis."

"How did she not hear anything?" the man inquired, stroking the slight stubble on his face.

"Really, Gus?" Rebecca's mother asked, giving the old man an annoyed look. "If whatever took Travis is supernatural in some way, it would know how to cover it's tracks."

"I'm just trying to get all the possible information we can to find this boy and save him, Myriam," Gus shot back. He sighed, standing up and looking between the two women, a worried expression adorning his features. "I've been a werewolf for forty years, and I am honestly clueless. Sorry, but I don't think there's much I can do."

Gus avoided Rebecca's gaze, which was filled with heartbreaking shock and dumbfoundment. She couldn't believe he was giving up so easily.

"We will look for him as best as we can, and we won't stop until he's safe," Myriam looked at her daughter, leaning in slightly as if to make her words more genuine. "But right now, you need to get to class. School starts in about twenty minutes."

Rebecca didn't bother arguing, giving Gus one last lingering stare before walking out of the office and slamming the door shut.

* * *

"How's Mieko been holding up?" Rebecca asked, turning her head to look at Ren as they walked side by side down the hall.

"She's pretty freaked out, I'm not going to lie," Ren admitted, taking off his thin burgandy jacket and slinging it over his shoulder. His eyebrows were furrowed. "I'm just worried that she actually did see something weird but she's not saying anything."

"She probably just doesn't understand," Rebecca offered. She winced at how degrading that sounded. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"I know," Ren cut her off. "She doesn't know about the weird stuff that goes on in this town, but I'm trying to get her to talk to me. I mean, her first boyfriend vanished leaving nothing but blood behind. I'd be terrified."

Rebecca raised her eyebrows and sighed in agreement. She felt a tug on her right arm, and a hand clasp her bicep. Her head swiveled to investigate, only to see Kamilla craning her neck to look at Ren with a concerned expression on her face.

Rebecca stopped walking and allowed Kamilla to drag her out of the steady flow of people in the center of the hall. Ren followed, and soon the three of them were standing in a tight circle near a water fountain.

"I heard what happened," Kamilla said to Ren, worry lacing her features. "Mieko isn't hurt, is she?"

"No, she's just a bit shaken," Ren explained. "She'll be alright."

"Good," Kamilla nodded, looking at Rebecca and finally letting go of her arm while awkwardly clearing her throat. "I also just wanted to tell you that Theo's been asking about you a lot lately."

"Theo Raeken?" Rebecca inquired, knowing the answer already, but not knowing how to take such information. As Kamilla nodded, Rebecca thought of something - anything - she could say to this. "What's he been asking about?"

"He's been wondering how involved you are with all the stuff that's been going on lately," Kamilla said. "Trust me, I make it sound much more weird than he does, it's just that, I think he might be trying to figure out what you know."

"Like, do I believe in werewolves and the Tooth Fairy?" Rebecca asked sardonically. Remembering what her mother had told her the previous night, just thinking about Theo and his past deceptions made her temper flare. "Is he too scared of talking to me himself?"

"No, I just think he wants to know whether to be careful or not around you," Kamilla admitted. "He's really concerned about all these murders that have been going on."

"I bet," Rebecca glowered, looking back at the busy hallway disdainfully. Ren and Kamilla exchanged glances, about to launch a full investigation on why Rebecca's mood went so far south so fast. Something sparked Rebecca's attention from across the hall, and before her friends could utter a word she waved them off. "I'll see you guys later."

Pushing past people who glared at her for cutting them off, Rebecca struggled to reach the other side of the hall. Nearly tripping over some girls shoes, she caught herself on a locker right next to a boy who's curled fist was shaking uncontrollably.

The boy was almost six feet tall with buzzed blond hair and a football jersey with the number five written on the back, and the word "MonHeim" in bold letters. His locker was open, and his head was half way inside it. He was muttering what seemed like just random words to himself.

"Connor?" Rebecca asked, going as close as she dared. The boy flinched when she placed a hand on his arm. His head turned ever so slowly, and Rebecca tried to remain calm when she saw his eyes were glowing white.

Swallowing a noise that for sure would not reflect confidence, she dared to take a half step closer to him, looking straight into the empty white pits that showed no sign of emotion.

"Connor, you need to calm down." Rebecca tried to keep her voice steady yet soft, so she wouldn't sound demanding, but at the same time she would seem firm. He opened his mouth to reply, but instead of normal teeth and a tongue, white spikes that jutted from all angles pointed towards a yawning void that was his throat.

Rebecca began to sweat, hoping against hope that Connor wouldn't go on a rampage and hurt someone. She blinked, brown eyes becoming as large as saucers. She didn't know what to do or say that would calm him down and not set him off.

Her hands moved from his arm to his curled fist. She never broke eye contact with him as she removed it from his locker door and slowly uncurled all of his fingers. His hand was shaking, and she placed her own palm upon his. He closed his mouth. She squeezed his hand tightly.

He blinked, and after a few moments of earnest waiting, his eyes returned to normal. Connor was still gasping for breath, but he wasn't eating anyone, so Rebecca sighed, releasing his hand and stepping away.

She felt kind of bad for manipulating him, but it was no secret that Connor had a massive crush on her, so she exploited it when she need to bring him back down to earth. While she was smiling at him, a grin that showed just how relieved she was, he opened his mouth, spikes and black hole gone, to thank her, or maybe to apologise.

Then he suddenly became distracted by something down the hall, over her head. He clamped his mouth shut.

"Thanks, Virk," Connor murmured tersely, closing his locker and walking away.

Rebecca couldn't react for a few heartbeats. She had no idea what had just happened. Finally spinning around to see someone that might have caused Connor to react in such a way, she was met by just a few onlookers who looked away when she glanced at them. None of them struck her as the type that would be able to send a Wendigo running.

Rebecca frowned, readjusting her backpack strap and making her way to class.

* * *

All throughout biology class, Rebecca tried her hardest to ignore Theo Raeken. Though when he sat directly between her and the teacher, it gave her ample time to stare daggers into his skull.

Ren was busy doodling aimlessly, his mind a million miles from where he sat. He was probably worrying about his sister; Rebecca felt bad because she was so caught up in her distrust for Theo, she hadn't stopped to give them much of her attention.

The clock on the wall seemed to go three times slower, and Rebecca swore she would lose her mind if she didn't get the hell out of that classroom in three seconds.

On cue, the bell rang through the air, her biology teacher struggling to make himself heard over the pandemonium his students created while rushing to the door. Rebecca was in the hallway in seconds.

She had just made it down the stairs, following the flow of students to the exit, when she sensed someone's eyes on the back of her head. Stepping to the side, Rebecca searched the massive tidal wave of bodies for someone who was looking at soon as she saw him, her face dropped. She should have known.

When he passed by her, she grabbed his arm and yanked him none too lightly from the swarm of kids. He seemed surprised, but regained his composure enough to give her a perplexed expression.

"What's up?" Theo Raeken asked, his voice void of anything but innocent confusion, as if Rebecca was a big bad bully on the playground coming to steal his lunch money.

Rebecca nearly blew steam from her ears. Her nostrils flared, and she had no trouble making sure Theo could hear her over the sound of the students rushing past them. "I know you lied."

"What?" Theo actually seemed bewildered, but that just egged Rebecca on more. She opened her mouth for a smart ass retort, but Theo gestured for her to follow him inside the nearest open classroom.

The teacher had already made a break for it, so when Theo closed the door behind Rebecca, she was free to spin around and express her anger that had been building all day like a snowball rolling down a hill.

"What's the matter? Don't feel like putting up with a credible audience of witnesses? But it doesn't matter, even you can't make up a good enough excuse to get yourself out of this one," Rebecca seethed.

"Hold up for one second," Theo requested, raising his arms up as if to push Rebecca's biting words away from him. "What's this even about?"

"It's about _you_ ," Rebecca said, highlighting the word you as she raised her finger to point at Theo. He had dropped his arms, and his face showed only slightly irritated puzzlement. "You, _Mr. Theo Raeken_ , coming around into _our_ town, getting all buddy-buddy with _my_ friends, sneaking around crime scenes and telling me and my mother two different stories and expecting us not to catch that?"

Theo struggled to find a response. "Your ... mother?"

"The Deputy, Sherlock," Rebecca explained, rolling her eyes. "The one who caught you sneaking around the night of the murder!"

Theo took a second to comprehend the information she was shooting at him. "I didn't even know the Deputy was your mother."

"I bet you got thrown off when you realized there was more than one officer Virk in this town," Rebecca rambled, her heart rate increasing with every word. "So you thought you were safe, so the next day you told me a different story!"

"I didn't tell you each a different story," Theo argued, finally finding foothold against Rebecca's hurricane of words. "I told you both I was going to see my mother who had a heart attack, and that's the truth."

"Well you sure didn't mention to me when you nearly ran me over that you were going to take a pit stop at a crime scene!" Rebecca shouted. Theo's voice was still considerably softer than hers, but just as confident.

"You sure forgot to mention to me that's where you came from," Theo shot right back.

Rebecca stopped, looking at Theo with narrowed eyes. "How did you know I came from the crime scene?"

Theo opened his mouth to explain, but Rebecca shook her head and just starting talking over him.

"You know what? Don't even bother. Ren was right, you're the shadiest guy I've ever met." Rebecca took a step closer, until their noses were inches apart. In some way, Theo was still trying to prove that she should give him the benefit of the doubt. Yet Rebecca didn't miss the ways his eyes hardened ever so slightly when she spoke again. "And I don't know what you want from my friends, but you stay away from them. We don't need someone who compulsively lies to the police and straight to our faces around here."

Theo tried to restate his argument, that he hadn't, in fact, lied. However Rebecca had already pushed past him, stepped outside the room, and slammed the classroom door shut behind her before he could force her to listen.

* * *

"It's too bad though," Ren said then shrugged. "Before you left you should have given him a good whack in the jaw or something."

"Ren!" Rebecca exclaimed, unable to hide the giggle that erupted due to his words. "I didn't want to fight him, I just gave him a warning."

"Sounds to me like you want to fight him even now," Ren snorts. Rebecca took her eyes off the road for a moment to give Ren a disbelieving look. From the passenger seat, he could only give her a suggestive eyebrow raise that ended in them both laughing.

"Yeah, I guess I wanted to hit him a bit," Rebecca admitted. She had told her friend everything that had happened about her confrontation with Theo ten minutes prior. Rebecca admitted to herself that blowing off a little steam did make her feel considerably better. She pulled into Ren's driveway, shifted into park, and gave him one last odd grin. "I guess Theo Fakin' should watch his back from now on."

Ren smiled as he climbed out of her car, giving her a small wave before bounding up his steps and into his house. Rebecca waited a few seconds, her smile lingering on her face. Sometimes it was nice to forget the looming horror they were dealing with, even for a few seconds.

Finally pulling out of his driveway, Rebecca turned on her radio, wanting to drown out her thoughts. Humming to the insanely repetitive Calvin Harris song that was playing, she tapped her thumbs to the beat and took her time cruising home.

Suddenly the song became riddled with static. Rebecca tried to change the station, but static seemed to infect everywhere she tried. Deciding to turn off the radio, her stomach plummeted when her entire car started to shudder.

"Are you serious?" Rebecca whispered to herself, annoyed. She managed to pull over to a patch of grass right beside a bridge. The creek underneath it bubbled, and she could faintly hear it as her car slowly died. Groaning in frustration she climbed out of her car, shutting the door with more force than necessary. "I can't even be in a good mood for five minutes?"

Looking at her surroundings she sighed. Her house was a good fifteen minute walk from where she was. The creek gurgled as it rushed over pebbles and rocks, its current flowing directly into the forest not too far away where it disappeared between the thick trees.

Rebecca leaned up against her car. She was a useless mechanic, and she stared up at the cloud-covered sky, weighing her options. She stared at the closest house, about twenty or so meters away, warily. She didn't feel like buying a new car if this one got stolen.

She finally pushed off of her car, making her way to the bridge and started a steady walk to her house. She looked out at the creek, then followed it with her eyes to the forest. She froze.

Bent over with tattered clothes, a vaguely humanoid creature scuttled towards the cover of the forest. It's chest was heaving, making its breaths visible as its back arched over until the creatures stomach seemed to be glued to its knees.

Rebecca stood, horrified, about half a kilometre away from the creature. With its bounding steps that seemed more like leaps than anything, it was quickly approaching the trees. Soon it would be gone from sight.

Rebecca, eyes trained on it, wasted no time turning around and briskly walking off the bridge. She walked parallel to the creek, trying not to be bothered too much by the cold air that hit her face or tugged at her strawberry blond hair. She didn't have time to worry about anything but the creature in the forest.

It disappeared in the dense trees and Rebecca quickened her pace. This part of the forest was much more wild and overgrown than the part near Kamilla's house. However when she finally reached it, she didn't even hesitate before climbing over a thick root, using the sparse light she had to follow the only clear path she could see; the one beside the creek.

The canopy of leaves above her head shifted, making the light source ever changing, with tiny spotlights of pure light sometimes appearing then vanishing in seconds. The trees groaned as well, and Rebecca once heard a large branch falling to the ground with a startling thump, that couldn't have landed too far away from where she was. Even though she often checked behind her shoulder, the disturbing sense of being watch haunted her with every step she took.

Shivering slightly, Rebecca tried to convince herself that whatever it was couldn't have been that far ahead of her, and she'd find it soon. Her hope dwindled, and the farther she receded into the forest, the darker it became. The creek descended even though the ground she stood on remained even, making it now almost ten feet below her. It's current had quickened as well, and more water from various sources pooled into it, making it much deeper.

Rebecca didn't dare express her frustration. Instead she stopped moving altogether when the path swerved to the right, away from the creek. Resisting the urge to stomp her foot on the ground for wasting her time, she turned around, ready to walk all the way back to the bridge.

Her eyes caught sight of movement behind the tree closest to her left. Her head instantly snapped to the direction she swore she saw the rustling leaves.

After a heartbeat, doubt filled her mind. It was so windy, how could leaves not rustle?

Looking at the ground, dejected, she went three steps before being knocked off her feet.

Something had slammed into her waist, making her go flying several feet to her right. Her and whatever it was rolled until Rebecca dug her knees and elbows into the tough dirt ground to stop them both from falling over the edge of the path to the creek below.

Rebecca, although her head was spinning slightly due to her rough landing, managed to see clearly the thing that was attacking her.

It was the creature she had been trying to follow. But most importantly - and shockingly - it was Travis DeClair, the boy who had gone missing.

Rebecca barely spared him even a twinge of sympathy as he used his teeth to try and rip off her shirt. His hands were gripping her waist and she could clearly hear his animalistic snorts as his nose intook air much quicker than humanly possible.

Rebecca used her knee to jerk the lower half of his body upward while simultaneously whacking his temple with her elbow. Travis rolled off and away from her, and Rebecca stood, scrambling away from the edge of the small cliff.

Rebecca positioned herself so Travis was between her and the creek. She didn't want to unnecessarily harm him. Possible ways of luring him out of the forest popped into her head before Travis was once again lunging for her midsection.

This time she was ready, and using her knee she hit him in the jaw so hard she heard a sickening crunch. He omitted a howl of pain.

Rebecca began to back away down the path, praying she was quicker than him so she could bring him back to safety. Much to her dismay, however, Travis was once again making his way towards her, and it was terrifying to watch.

Letting out short snuffs and grunts, Travis half crawled, half walked towards her at alarming speeds. He seemed to be persistent to get to her, lurching and flailing his limbs to move faster. Rebecca reacted when she was close enough to see the madness in his eyes. She used the outside of her foot to kick him directly in the nose. When he reared back in agony, she raised her foot a little more then brought her heel down on the exact same spot she had just hit.

Rebecca hoped that if she had just kept hitting his head, he would give up. However, even as she frantically moved away from him, Travis moaned, slowly making his way to her once more. Rebecca noticed in a glint of light, that there was some kind of liquid dripping from his nose, and it did not look like mucus. However she decided to ignore it for the time being, focusing on more important issues.

Rebecca finally gave up on trying to act alone. The last thing she wanted was to kill the poor guy, but who knows what happened to him - he sure wasn't human anymore, as much as he looked like it. Rebecca felt around her pockets for her phone, praying it hadn't been broken.

Finally whipping it out of her sweater pocket, Rebecca pressed the power button, chanting the word, "Please," under her breath. The phone turned on, but instead of her lock screen, wavy lines of static danced across the surface. Rebecca felt panic grip her core.

In the millisecond she took to place herself in a defensive stance, she felt the world around her become slower. A strange crackling filled her ears, sounding like electricity. Overtop of the noise, she heard loud hissing and clashing and footfalls that sounded like the thing they were attached to weighed a tonne.

Rebecca turned her head to the forest the same time Travis did. The thing that emerged from it was hard for Rebecca's mind to comprehend.

The thing that struck Rebecca the most was the ragged breathing that came from the being. It was covered in metal, even the mask that covered its face. Where its eyes should have been were red glass covers. Overtop of its body, the thing wore a long, thick coat.

Rebecca could do nothing but watch as it made its way towards Travis. The sound of electricity and static became louder the closer they got. The way they moved was mesmerising; one second it was walking, the next it appeared a few feet ahead, as if the universe around them was glitching.

Two more or the beings emerged from the forest, surrounding Travis. The first one pulled out a long needle that was filled with a silvery substance.

Mercury.

That single word was like a slap in the face, and the world came rushing back into focus. Rebecca screamed, and when she opened her mouth she realised her voice was being mingled with Travis'. He was fighting against the beings, screeching and recoiling away from the needle.

Rebecca rushed forward, but suddenly the third being, with a strange looking spectacle device attached to its eye, spun around so fast Rebecca hardly even comprehended the movement.

It reached out, grabbing her shirt. Rebecca raised her arm to escape from its metal glove hold on her, but in the next moment she was lying horizontal in mid air. Rebecca could only focus on the canopy of leaves above her head for a second. She blinked, and suddenly pain erupted from her back and spread through her entire body as the strange doctor thing slammed her into the ground. Shock and agony mixed together as she tried to remember how to breathe.

The thing that held her squeezed down on her chest, making sure she didn't move, or breathe for that matter. Crying out, Rebecca couldn't recall the last time she had felt such emotional and physical trauma.

The wind around them picked up, howling and struggling to make its way into her mouth so she could breathe again, but instead the angry torrents ripped at her clothes and made her vision blurry, but she couldn't stop it.

Time around her sped up then slowed down dizzyingly. Rebecca couldn't tell if it was her mind playing tricks on her, or somehow the beings were messing with her perception of everything around her.

Turning her head as her body finally went limp, she saw Travis hit the ground beside her, a steady flow of Mercury pooling out of his mouth, ears, eyes, everywhere. The hold on her chest finally released and Rebecca allowed oxygen to trickle into her trachea and give her life.

The beings, she guessed, had disappeared back into the forest, leaving nothing but a dead body, and a numb buzzing in Rebecca's ears. She lay beside him helplessly as red and silver liquid dripped out of his body and slowly dissolved into the soil.


	5. A Dreadful Discovery

"So you just, what? Laid there until the police showed up?" Kamilla managed to ask, struggling for words. Rebecca tried to focus on the traffic flow she was maneuvering through, but with her friend's onslaught of questions from the passenger seat, she felt her attention shifting.

"No, I had to call the police first," Rebecca explained, and Kamilla snorted.

"Yeah, whatever. Still, weird ass mechanical creatures coming out of a forest to beat you up and inject mercury into Travis? Back to you for the weather, Janice," Kamilla said sarcastically. Rebecca managed to lift the corner of her mouth upwards. It wasn't as if Rebecca was annoyed by Kamilla's behavior, because when her friend was loud and obnoxious in ridiculously serious times she was simply expressing fear in her own strange little werewolf way. It was just that Rebecca was still shaken, and she found Kamilla's overprotective nature more stifling than usual.

"They looked less like creatures and more like weird ass mechanical beings in doctors masks," Rebecca corrected. She took a right, and their school was only a few blocks ahead of them.

"I would say spare me the details, _but_ ," Kamilla said. "How the hell did they manage to kick your ass so brutally? Are you even recovered? And before I forget, is Mieko okay?"

Rebecca, choosing to ignore everything but the last question, sighed slightly. "Mieko's not taking it very well. I don't think Ren is either."

For the first time all morning, Kamilla gave Rebecca a moment of silence.

"You think he blames you." It was less of a question and more of a statement, but Rebecca gave a quick nod as a response regardless. "If Ren blames you for defending yourself and not being able to fend off metal doctor things, then he needs to schedule a checkup with his family doctor to make sure his head's on right because that's just plain stupid."

"I don't know," Rebecca replied, finding an empty parking space and pulling into it. In a matter of minutes the two girls had gotten out of the car and were walking through the front door of their school together. Rebecca gripped her bag tightly, one hand rubbing up and down the strap as her mind spun.

Kamilla placed her hand on Rebecca's shoulder to get her attention. Rebecca blinked, waiting for some hard-crushing news, but realized her friend was just saying goodbye. "Theo's meeting me at my locker, then we're going to head down to the computer lab so we can print off our essays. I better get going-"

"Why do you hang around him?" Rebecca asked, her voice dripping with contempt. Kamilla removed her hand from her friend's shoulder, as if seeing her in a new light.

"Because he's actually a pretty nice guy, Becks," Kamilla explained. She sounded irritable, as if what she was saying was crystal clear to everyone, but Rebecca still didn't even entertain the notion. "Don't tell me you've bought into Rens _'Ultimate Satori Powers'_ crap."

"I don't trust him, Kamilla," Rebecca admitted. According to her and her mother, Theo Raeken was a possible suspect for all of the murders and strange things happening lately. After all, Rebecca saw a mask, and anyone can wear a mask. Rebecca didn't like the idea of any one of her friends becoming close to him. She couldn't stand it if any of them got hurt. "And I don't want him knowing anything about me."

Kamilla's face soured. "Why not? Because of Ren's gut feeling?"

"Please Kamilla," Rebecca pleaded, suddenly desperate. Kamilla had been subconsciously leaning away from her friend, but Rebecca tilted closer to display the earnesty in her expression. "I don't want him knowing anything about me, about what I am."

Kamilla was taken aback slightly. She also looked disappointed, as if Rebecca had just sunk to a new low. "Fine. Whatever. I don't see how it matters-"

A large gust of air traveled down the hall and took the words right out of Kamilla's mouth. The doors to the emergency exit had flung open, letting a a torrent of wind send papers and books flying.

"A storm's coming, I think," Rebecca said. Kamilla gave Rebecca a strange look. Before they knew it, they had reached Kamilla's locker, and a third party was waiting for them.

Rebecca stopped abruptly, giving Theo a nasty look. Kamilla, noticing the tension already, didn't bother trying to stop Rebecca from walking away. Theo, however, let in a slow breath as if to calm his temper.

"If you don't have the decency to be polite, the least you could do is listen to my side of the story," said Theo, turning to face Rebecca. She spun around as well, a wary and furious look on her face, as if she couldn't believe the nerve he had to say such a thing.

"I don't have to do a damn thing," Rebecca snarled. As soon as she let out her anger in that simple statement, she instantly regretted her words. She tried to relish in his shocked reaction, but all she felt was guilt.

"Rebecca, what's this about?" Kamilla asked, unable to remain a bystander for a second longer. She looked at Theo, as if he was someone she suddenly didn't recognize. She looked back to Rebecca, who struggled to find a response.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Theo spoke. "It's just this thing we had been arguing about."

 _"Way to be vague,"_ Rebecca thought bitterly. Kamilla gave her a pointed look.

"Arguing about what?" Kamilla demanded, becoming more and more frustrated as the seconds ticked by. Theo and Kamilla were looking at her, and suddenly Rebecca felt another swell of anger course through her. Theo made it seem like she was the one that caused their 'argument' as he had called it. It sure wasn't her fault that he was a lying son of a bitch. "Well?"

"Well nothing," Rebecca replied, giving her friend an unreadable expression. Her eyes flit over to Theo for a millisecond, enough for him to catch the movement and narrow his eyes. "I need to get to class, I'll talk to you later."

She turned fully and forced her way through the crowd of people still trying to recover from the massive gust of air that had thrown the hallway into temporary chaos. She heard Kamilla calling out her name, and she could hear the vexation in her friend's voice, but she didn't turn around.

* * *

Hours later, long after school had ended, Rebecca stood anxiously on a porch, knuckles grazing the wooden door, but not having the strength to knock. She knew the door very well, it's maroon colour seemingly stuck in her mind along with its circlular window and brass handle.

Rebecca hesitated one last time before stiffening her resolve and offering a firm rap of her knuckles. She stepped away quickly, as if suddenly ashamed. Rubbing the back of her neck, she had to wait mere seconds before the door flew open.

"Hi," Rebecca greeted, slightly cowed.

"Hey," Ren responded, mouth tilting up slightly. Rebecca's anxiety seemed to pool out of her when she saw his expression light up. So he wasn't angry with her. "I'm really glad you came. She's upstairs."

Rebecca only nodded, worry once again gnawing at her insides, but perhaps not as vigorously. Her hand dropped by her side as she entered his house. She didn't bother studying the living room she walked into, knowing that the same dark tan wash adorned the walls. Her favourite brown suede boots blended in with the coffee-coloured floorboards, but stood out when she crossed an über fancy asian rug.

It's not as if Ren's family were rich, but they were well off enough that their house looked like it could be featured on Celebrity Cribs.

It also helped that Ren's mother was a fanatic when it came to her heritage, and slowly the entire house had become creepily similar to the one she used to live in when she was in Japan as a little girl. It was really weird. Rebecca had even seen comparison photographs and she couldn't tell the difference between the two houses.

Though no one, not even her husband, dared speak out against Mrs. Otsuka for fear of their future well-being.

"Hello Rebecca," a voice called from deeper within the house. Her arrival was expected, but the fact that Ren had informed presumably his entire family just made her stomach squeeze in guilt.

Mr. Otsuka appeared in the doorway that lead to the kitchen. He was wiping his hands on a spare rag as he offered Rebecca a pursed-lip smile. Rebecca stopped walking even though all she wanted to do was turn around and sprint for her life. Judging by the smell that wafted from the room Mr. Otsuka had just come from, he was in the middle of cooking dinner.

"Hi," Rebecca managed to strangle out. She cleared her throat, trying not to seem too guilty. Ren's father creased his eyebrows in concer. Rebecca swore at herself inwardly. She couldn't have felt more guilty even if she had actually done something wrong. And she hadn't done anything, but when Ren, who had skipped school to spend time with his sister, texted her asking her to come over and talk to Mieko, she panicked. The entire day she had been playing the previous night's events in her head. She could have done more for Travis, she could have fought harder against the doctor things.

Plus, standing in a house with two Satoris who could read her mind, memories, emotions, and practically everything else she could ever possibly hide did nothing to help calm her nerves.

"Are you feeling alright?" Mr. Otsuka asked Rebecca, who took a steadying breath, looking at the man as if trying to communicate without words. Ren's father, unlike Ren himself, had been a Satori for an extremely long time, and Rebecca knew from experience she couldn't hide much from him. Fortunately, Mr. Otsuka was not as pushy as many people Rebecca knew, and understood that some things were better to be revealed when the individual was willing. He gave Rebecca, then Ren a nod. "We're all very thankful that you called us personally last night to tell us what happened."

Rebecca shrugged, rubbing her arm. "It was the least I could do."

The better thing to do would have been to stop Travis from getting murdered, but she bit her tongue before her words could become known. Mr. Otsuka nodded once more, a empathetic expression on his face. He gave Rebecca one last smile, as if wishing her luck before he disappeared into the kitchen.

Rebecca, a new surge of energy flowing through her, turned to Ren as if asking for permission to continue. Just knowing that not everyone in Ren's family blamed her for Travis' death gave her a tiny pint of hope. He waved his hand, gesturing for her to continue.

Rebecca knew Ren's house like the back of her hand, and once she ascended up the stairs, she had no trouble finding Mieko's door. It was closed, and Rebecca gave Ren one last nervous look over her shoulder before she knocked.

"Mieko?" Rebecca called, her ears straining to hear any sounds of movement on the other side. She nervously tapped her foot on the floor. She looked back at Ren, worried that something was wrong.

The door opened a crack, and Rebecca turned back around, unsure what to say. Mieko opened the door even wider. Her eyes, which were naturally thin to begin with, were red and puffy. Rebecca swallowed hard when Mieko sniffled and gestured for them to enter.

Mieko's room was average sized and strangely dark, but that was probably due to the fact that both of her windows were closed with her curtains shielding any light. She hastily fixed this, tugging on the thick fabric that probably cost a fortune. The afternoon sun temporarily blinded Ren and Rebecca.

"Take a seat," Mieko offered as she moved over to her next window. Rebecca, after a quick glance around the slightly disorganised room, sat down on Mieko's bed beside Ren. His sister sat down at her desk, swiveling the chair to face them.

Rebecca played with her own fingers, using every ounce of willpower she had to force herself to hold Mieko's unwavering gaze.

There was an awkward moment of hesitation, where all three of them didn't know who was going to speak first. Mieko, who's slender fingers gripped the tissue in her left hand in a tense hold, broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"So," she began. Rebecca sat up a little more. She felt like she owed it to Mieko. "How did you find him?"

Rebecca spread her fingers across her leg. Ren nudged her with his shoulder for her to speak.

"Well," Rebecca started, her voice low. "I had just dropped Ren off. Then my car broke down right near the bridge. I saw Travis go into the woods, and I followed him."

"Did you see it?" Mieko asked, her voice hoarse. Rebecca flinched at how broken she sounded. "Did you see him ... you know ..."

Rebecca nodded. She wasn't sure if Mieko wanted an explanation, but she couldn't stop herself from babbling anyway. "I tried to stop him, to take him out of the forest, but he didn't even seem like himself anymore. Then these people just came out of nowhere, and ... and I thought I was going to die too. I couldn't save him, I'm sorry..."

Mieko nodded, blinking and letting her eyes drop. As far as Ren's parents and Rebecca knew, Mieko was not a Satori like her brother and her father. But when she looked at Rebecca again, the glint in her eyes could have fooled anyone. "You know, I don't blame you."

"What?" Rebecca whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat. She felt stupid just sitting there uselessly, being able to give only bad news and worsen Mieko's pain. She fought back tears.

"For his death," Mieko explained. Her voice cracked when she said death. "I believe you did everything for him. Thank you."

Rebecca smiled, and a tear escaped her eye. She looked down, a wave of relief washing through her. Her vision blurred as she looked at the carpeted floor of Mieko's room. She felt Ren's hand, rubbing her back soothingly.

Rebecca felt realization hit her like a slap in the face. Mieko hadn't asked her to come so she could yell and scream and blame her for everything that happened. She had been asked to come so Mieko could have the peace of knowing what happened, face to face.

Rebecca couldn't explain how idiotic she felt, yet how giddy as well. The two emotions mixed together until she raised her head, settling on giving Mieko a thankful smile. Why did she always have to imagine the worst?

"Are you staying for dinner?" Mieko asked. Rebecca, for the second time in five minutes, was surprised by the younger girl across from her. It was obvious her boyfriend's death weighed heavily on her, but still she managed to put on a brave front. "I think Ren needs to catch up on his homework."

Ren chuckled slightly. "I think so. Dad's making enough for everyone. Plus Mom would love to see you, Becks. What do you say?"

Rebecca nodded, a small smile on her lips. Mieko grinned and stood, saying she needed to call back a friend who wanted to give her sympathies. Rebecca immediately stood, making her way to the door while wiping her eyes hastily. She gave Mieko one last departing smile before making her way towards her door.

She reached out for the handle when she was close enough, and turned to say something to Ren, who was bothering his sister and asking her which friend was calling. Rebecca let her eyes scan the the wallpaper, then the bookshelf. A blue picture frame that stood out against the brown wood snagged her attention.

Rebecca squinted, looking at the picture. She let go lf the door handle, stepping closer to the picture and exmaining it more thoroughly.

It was Mieko hugging a boy Rebecca recognized as Travis DeClair. She winced at how happy they looked. The camera pointed down at their pleasant faces, Travis' arm raised, his hand disappearing beyond the lense. It was a selfie, and Rebecca raised her eyebrows when she realized this. The two of them were in a room with a bed in the background, though it obviously wasn't Mieko's room.

It must have been Travis'. Rebecca was about to turn away when on the ground just behind Mieko, a picture of something made panic rip away any other emotion. Rebecca picked up the picture frame, and held it close at eye level. The more she examined the book cover lying on the ground behind Mieko, the more shallow her breaths became.

On the cover of the book, was a masked person with little red pieces of glass where the eyes should have been. It was the exact same face as the thing that had murdered Travis. Rebecca finally dragged her eyes away to read the title of the book: "The Dread Doctors".

"Rebecca?" Ren's voice called her out of her thoughts that were going a million miles an hour. Her head snapped up and she practically slammed the picture frame back on Mieko's shelf. Ren flinched at the sudden noise, and Mieko turned, a questioning look on her face.

"Yeah?" Rebecca asked, trying to sound casual as she backed up towards the door, never breaking eye contact with Ren. She instinctively covered her hands with her sleeves, covering any exposed skin.

"Are you feeling alright?" Ren asked, taking another step closer to her. Rebecca shrugged, desperately trying to stay cool as her hand groped around for the door handle.

"Yeah, definitely. Hey, listen, we got a lot of English homework to do. We're supposed to have our essay rough copy due by tomorrow, and I'll give you the topics we can chose from," Rebecca said hurriedly, flinging open the door and escaping into the hall once she finished. Half way to Ren's room, he grabbed her arm and forced her to turn and face him.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?" Ren demanded. Rebecca pursed her lips as a response. The truth was too terrifying for her to explain, but she definitely didn't want Ren to see first hand what had happened with her and Travis. He no doubt would beeline to that memory if he looked into her mind.

Luckily, Mr. Otsuka called up the stairs that dinner was ready and Rebecca wasted no time shaking off Ren's grip and practically falling down the stairs. Rebecca was jittery and even though she inconspicuously tried to shake out her limbs, her anxiousness remained.

She finally had a lead. She was one step closer to stopping the murderer. To catching these ... Dread Doctors.

Rebecca didn't know whether to puke or pump her fists in the air.

* * *

Rebecca decided to stop on her way home to refill her gas tank. There were a few other people there that gave her more than just a passing glance, but she didn't bother to even look up from her phone.

She was in the middle of texting Kamilla about course changes or something. Rebecca wasn't entirely involved in the conversation, but it beat just hanging around hoping that no one spoke to her. All she wanted to do was track down her mother, find out where Travis lived, and rip apart his house until she found the book that was permanently stamped in her minds eye.

Her phone vibrated and Rebecca blinked at the incoming call. Swiping to accept it then putting her phone to her ear, she waited for the other person, who owned the blocked number, to speak first.

"Hello?" Rebecca knew that voice. She shook her head at how paranoid she was.

"Hey, Gus," Rebecca greeted. She stopped the steady flow of gas entering her car and hooked it back up to its machine. "What's up?"

"The body of the victim - Travis DeClair, I believe his name was - is gone," Gus blurted. Rebecca blinked, almost dropping her wallet after pulling it out of her pocket.

"What?" Rebecca demanded, tilting her head to avoid the wary glares of the people in the pumps next to her. "What do you mean, ' _gone_ '?"

"Look, your mother would have a fit if she found out I was calling you, but even she doesn't know what to do," Gus rasped, obviously intensely whispering into the phone. "Me and Myriam - _gah_ , your mother, whatever - went in to properly examine Travis to see what kind of creature he was, and to see if he was a hybrid. When we got there, somehow someone had broken into the morgue, and now there's blood everywhere. There's a few pieces of flesh, and the detectives think that someone ... _ate_ Travis."

" _Ate_?" Rebecca echoed, her voice louder than she expected. She gave a half hearted smile to a guy standing across from her before looking away and dropping her voice to a whisper. "Someone ate Travis? Wait, you're not calling me because you think-"

"Because I think you may know someone who could have eaten this poor kid?" Gus cut her off, slight disgust in his tone. "Yeah, actually. That's exactly what I think."

Rebecca suddenly clenched her jaw. She thought of the previous day. She thought of pure white eyes, sharp spikes, and a yawning void. She knew someone - or more accurately, _something_ \- that could have done this.

"I think I do," Rebecca said. She could feel Gus tense on the other end, waiting for her to spill the name. "I think you should go and arrest Connor MonHeim. _Right now._ "


	6. Miss Virk, the Jerk

**I know usually authors notes are at the end of the chapter, but I have to give a few warnings; there are heavy mentions of death and some descriptions of it, not too agonizingly detailed, but still.**

* * *

Rebecca knew she probably seemed like she was a federal fugitive or just plain guilty of something as she muttered for herself to hurry up while searching for her debit card.

Finally paying for her gas, and ignoring the wary glare of the man across from her, she snatched her wallet off the counter and started towards the door at a brisk pace. Her head was down as she shoved her debit card back into its designated slot. Rebecca hardly had time to rear back and avoid a collision when the little bell on the door rang, signalling it was being opened. An apology was on the tip of her tongue until she saw who had opened the door. Would she never be rid of him?

Theo Raeken blinked, shocked to see her, or maybe at how close she had just been to running into him. She gave him an annoyed glare before trying to make her way by him.

"Hey," Theo said, his voice taught, as if his patience was already far past worn thin. He put an arm across the doorway so Rebecca couldn't exit. He leaned in a bit towards her, enough to make her uncomfortable. "When are you going to stop looking at me as if I threatened to kill your family?"

"When you actually do," Rebecca quipped, holding his gaze and sneering slightly. "So I have all the proof I need to get you arrested."

Theo stood up so quickly Rebecca had to take a step back to avoid knocking heads with him. He rolled his eyes and quickly flit his gaze across the store, as if looking for an answer to why the girl in front of him was being such a bitch.

He looked behind him, and upon seeing a man impatiently waiting to enter the store, he offered an apologetic wave. Theo then turned to Rebecca, grabbing her forearm just like she had done to him in the hallway a few days ago, and dragged her over to the nearest small aisle.

She shook off his grip, facing him with an irritable expression on her face. He was standing between her and the exit. She put her tongue between her teeth and cocked an eyebrow while simultaneously crossing her arms. She waited for him to speak.

"You know what? I'm done trying to be nice. There is no pleasing you," Theo finally said, exasperated. He had this way of arguing where he kept his voice low enough to not make a scene, but harsh enough to prove his point. Rebecca rolled her eyes at his words, which made his voice even more biting. "You seem to hate me, so, whatever. The only thing that matters is that I like Kamilla, and she likes you."

Rebecca's chin lowered slightly, as if looking at an obviously lying child. Theo looked to his right, probably thinking he'd have better luck talking to the Doritos next to him than to the girl in front of him, but he continued regardless. His voice changed, though, and Rebecca tilted her head at the sudden calmness in his tone.

"All I want is for this constant bickering not to ruin my friendship with Kamilla, because it is," Theo explained. He looked wounded; his eyes were wide and his tragically handsome face was pleading with her cold demeanor. "I don't want to fight with you. All I want is for us to at the very least coexist."

Maybe it was the fact that Rebecca swallowed slightly, blinking and looking him over one more time. Maybe it was the fact that Theo had finally made some sort of effect on her, that for that second Rebecca almost believed him.

But it was over in an instant, and Rebecca uncrossed her arms, reassembling her angry stance. With hands curled into fists, she looked about ready to start a fist fight.

"You know what? I probably would," Rebecca said. "Except you've had a history of not being entirely truthful, so I don't know if I can believe a single word that comes out of your mouth."

Rebecca side stepped Theo and marched out of the store without another word. Theo rubbed his jaw, muttering a string of curse words under his breath while he watched her car rev up, then practically fly away from the gas station.

* * *

Rebecca's favourite thing about Gus was that he knew how to tip toe around Myriam Virk almost as well as her own daughter. It was also fortunate that Gus was a relatively high ranked officer, a bit lower than her mother, but had just enough power to be able to smuggle Rebecca in to see Connor without arousing too much suspicion.

After the door was closed behind her, Rebecca's gaze settled on Connor Monheim, who had stood when she arrived. Rebecca let out a barely concealed sigh of disappointment.

She took a few steps closer to the temporary holding cell. He had just been thrown in, and a look of pleading sadness adorned his face. Rebecca, however, wasn't fooled.

"Hey Connor," Rebecca annunciated. Her hands were buried into her jacket as she struggled to find the right words that would express her anger. Connor wrapped his hands around the bars, waiting for her to speak.

She opened and closed her mouth, but all she could end up doing was shake her head.

"Rebecca, listen-" Connor pleaded, eyes wide. However, Rebecca found exactly the words she had been searching for as a wave of anger washed through her. She was done with people telling her to listen.

" _No_ ," Rebecca practically yelled, startling her and Connor both. "Connor, you were clean for almost two years now! What the hell happened?"

A tear slipped from Connor's eye, and she struggled to stay angry. Rebecca frowned, masking her concern with irritation.

"You don't understand," Connor murmured. He rest his head up against the bars. "I did it, but they haven't even asked me why yet. My family. They said they'd kill my family if I didn't!"

"Who did?" Rebecca urged, taking another step so she could read his expression better. "Who threatened your family?"

"I can't tell you," Connor whispered, and Rebecca groaned, rubbing her eyes. She felt Connor's hand on her forearm and she snapped to attention once more. He was hurt by her mistrust, but according to Gus, he had just eaten someone a few hours ago. She wasn't taking any chances. "Please, Rebecca. Go check on my family. I need to know if they're okay."

Rebecca nodded slowly. She thought of a few days ago when she was with Ren and Kamilla. His family sounded like they were killing each other; screaming and crying and smashing objects. Yet the worry in his eyes couldn't have be anything less than genuine.

He released her arm and Rebecca left the room quickly. It was time for a visit to the MonHeim household.

* * *

"Are you serious?" Rebecca cried out, rubbing her forehead. She felt a headache coming on as she watched her car being towed away. She was in such a rush, she thought she'd be out of the station in time to save her car, but it was too late.

Panic gripped her and she dug her teeth into her bottom lip. Placing one hand on her hip and one on her mouth, she tried to find a solution to the awful mess she was in. No buses reached the part of town where Kamilla and Connor lived. She could ask to borrow Gus' jeep, but that would risk alerting her mother she was there. Then would come the questions, then would come the scolding.

Rebecca gave up, throwing her hands in the air before pocketing them once more. She started walking in the direction she needed to go, bitterly cursing her own luck.

She was almost so entirely caught up in her own misreable thoughts, she nearly didn't recognize the blue truck that zoomed by her.

She blinked, stopping in her tracks and turning to see where it was heading. Wasn't that ... Theo's truck?

Rebecca thought she probably should know, seeing as it nearly ran her over, but she squinted to see where it's destination was anyway. Much to her dismay, however, it screeched to a halt in the middle of the street.

Luckily there weren't any cars going by at that time, so the truck was able to switch into reverse and backtrack all the way back to where Rebecca was standing with ease. She felt incredibly idiotic, waiting for the drivers window to roll to a stop beside her. The window was already down, and she was able to see Theo give her a thinly-veiled smirk of glee.

"Don't you have a car?" Theo asked. Rebecca huffed irritably, looking down the street to see if there were any cars that could ram into his. He didn't even bother really hiding how he enjoyed seeing her at the side of the street, alone and in need.

"Go to hell, Raeken," Rebecca spat. She started to continue walking, but the truck was quickly shifted out of park and back into reverse, matching her pace.

"Easy there," Theo taunted. Rebecca wanted nothing more than to grab the nearest sharp object and pop all four of his tires, but she tried to ignore him the best she could. "I just didn't take you for the type to take spontaneous night walks. People will start to question your occupation."

"Are you saying I look like a Hooker?" Rebecca blurted, glaring at Theo as he grinned smugly. "You're an asshole."

"Yeah, you made that abundantly clear," Theo shrugged, brushing off her words. Rebecca snorted. "Whatever. Where are you heading? Maybe I could give you a ride."

Rebecca glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but she still hadn't stopped walking. "First you call me a sex dealer wandering the streets, now you want to be my chauffeur? Dude, what is with you?"

Theo didn't reply. Rebecca sighed as he switched into drive and started moving in the opposite direction she was headed. She probably could have used the ride, but she was still wary to get in a car alone with Theo Fakin'.

He pulled up beside her again, this time the passenger side closest to where she walked. He had done a U-turn. " _What a dork,"_ Rebecca thought, but she stopped walking when he reached across and opened the passenger door.

"Come on, even you're not _that_ stubborn," Theo said, raising his eyebrows. He seemed to know before Rebecca what her decision would be.

Taking a deep breath then releasing it quickly, Rebecca finally started walking towards his truck and climbed inside with ease. "Fine."

As soon as she shut the door Theo pulled away. He waited for her to get settled before saying: "So I know you're going in this direction, but I'm going to need a bit more specific address."

"583 Montgomery Place," Rebecca replied, staring out her passenger window. The sun set not too long ago, making the sky a rich purple colour. She examined that instead, pretending not to notice when Theo gave her a bemused look.

"You know, when you told me your mom was the deputy, I honestly didn't believe you," Theo admitted. Rebecca tilted her head slightly to show she was listening. "But over the past few days I really can see the resemblance."

"Why?" Rebecca asked. Her tone of voice sounded like she was challenging Theo, and telling him to chose his next words carefully. He let out a soft chuckle.

"Because you fight to the death about everything then just shut down when you finally admit you're wrong," Theo replied. Rebecca turned to look at him, and seeing the slight smile on his face, she decided not to play by his rules anymore. He thought she would get angry, instead her voice was calm.

"I didn't know you had so much time to get to know my mom," said Rebecca.

"Yeah, one of the desk people - he goes by the name Gus, I think - has been really helping me out these past few days. You're mom's really intense," Theo responded.

"What have you been doing at the police station?" Rebecca inquired, placing her index finger on her cheek and resting her elbow on the window ledge.

"Well, as much as it shocks you _and_ your mom," Theo explained, turning a corning and glancing at Rebecca out of the corner of his eye. "I actually don't know much about these murders going on. And I wasn't lying when I told you I wanted to be ready for them."

"So you, what?" Rebecca asked, sarcasm dripping in her tone. "Decided to actually become a detective and save the day? Why the hell is Gus of all people helping you anyway?"

Theo hesitated before speaking, and Rebecca grew suspicious at the slight pause. "Me and Gus, we ran into each other a few weeks ago. We're, well, more similar than you think. I said I'll help the best I can, and have been helping him out ever since. Your mom doesn't like that Gus brought me into it. And I also think she just hates me. Does it run in the family?"

Rebecca let out a humorless laugh at his last comment. Gus and him were more similar than she thought, huh? As she pondered his words, Theo felt obligated to speak in the silence.

"Listen, I wasn't even supposed to tell anyone that Gus and I were working together," Theo explained. Rebecca looked over at him curiously. He stared right back at her. She supposed he wanted her to feel special or something because he shared a secret with her. Or maybe he wanted something in return. "And so I suppose it's fair that you haven't told anyone how involved you are in these cases as well."

Rebecca faced forward, unable to look at the boy next to her for a second longer. Gus had told him? She felt an unexplained rush of betrayal. Theo was slowly taking everyone she cared about one by one. First Kamilla, now Gus. At least Ren wasn't so naïve to fall for Theo Fakin's charm.

"But when I heard that you framed Connor MonHeim, and without even a second thought he was arrested, I began to wonder," Theo continued. She saw out of the corner of her eye Theo had once again brought his gaze back to the road. "That is where we're going, right? Connor MonHeim's house?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Rebecca replied. She couldn't help but feel the space between them had become claustrophobic. So Gus had told Theo about her? "But that's why you were going to the station, yeah? Gus called you? Why does he trust you so much?"

Theo made a noise that was a cross between a sigh and a groan. "Why don't you, Rebecca? You don't even let me explain myself before I become number one on your hit list."

"Because I know you don't actually care about me, even remotely," Rebecca exclaimed, her voice growing louder. She shook her head. Her words sounded too personal. She wasn't jealous of the attention her friends were getting, she was angry because for some reason he liked Ren, Kamilla, and Gus, three of the most powerful supernatural beings in the entire town. However, if she hadn't openly expressed her mistrust for him, Theo might not have even remembered her name. All the hints that he had dropped pertaining to her friends made her wary. "You're only after my friends. And just because they believe that you're harmless, I won't until I figure out why you're trying to gain their trust so bad."

"How do you even know that I'm just after your friends? You don't even know me, you just accused me of something I didn't do, then hated me," Theo bit back. Rebecca noticed they accelerated just a bit. She took a deep breath. Arguing with the driver might get them both killed.

Theo readjusted his grip on the steering wheel. Every second she spent with him it made her more suspicious, and she couldn't just ignore the obvious signs that he was irritated with her for hating him, not for accusing him for lying per say.

"What's your story, then?" Rebecca asked, her voice quiet. She cleared her throat, and she watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. She hated backing down, but she needed to see if he would lie to her face again.

"I was home alone," Theo started. His voice lowered considerably as well. "I just finished up my homework when the hospital called; my mom had just been brought in because of a heart attack. Of course, I rushed out, then about five minutes later I nearly hit you."

Rebecca didn't realize she was staring at Theo until he turned and held her gaze. She blinked, trying to pretend she wasn't intensely interested in what he had to say. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Damn it, he knew.

"After that I kept going, but the road I was going down was blocked. It was the murder scene. So I got out, and started to look around. Of course, me and Gus have been working together for quite a bit now, and so I decided to see if I could figure something out while I tried to ask someone for a different route to the hospital." Theo's voice lilted at just the right moments. If he was anything, he was an excellent storyteller. "After that I saw your mom. I'm assuming she told you what happened. Then I went to go see my mom at the hospital."

"Is she okay?" Rebecca asked after a pause. She didn't mean to sound so fragile, but her voice betrayed her. Theo's story sounded believable enough, especially since Gus snuck and told her information all the time. Maybe her and Theo were his field workers, but neither of them knew the other was involved. Rebecca couldn't help but feel a little bad, but she still didn't know what his obsession with her friends was about.

Theo smiled, but he tried to hide that he was laughing at her. Rebecca huffed indignantly.

"What's so funny?" Rebecca asked irritably

"Nothing," Theo lied. He turned to her, still beaming. He shook his head a bit. "Okay, it's just that one second you're dead set against me, the next you're trying to look out for my family? Dude, what is with you?"

Rebecca opened her mouth then closed it, turning away to try and hide the smile that cracked her sullen expression. She shook her head as well when she heard him laughing slightly. "Watch it, Raeken. I can switch back and forth quicker than you think."

"Oh I bet," Theo said. He looked back at her, and she turned to give him a wolfish grin. Their eye contact lasted for a few seconds before Rebecca cast her gaze downwards, smile melting. He looked back at the road.

"Okay, so your story is acceptable," Rebecca admitted. Theo rolled his eyes playfully. Rebecca didn't know if she liked hating him or liking him more. Their little happy moment scared her a bit. If he could manipulate her like that, no wonder Kamilla was so spellbound. "But that still doesn't explain why Gus trusts you so much."

Theo started to say something, but it died on his lips. He tried again: "It's a bit complicated."

"How is it complicated?" Rebecca urged, cocking her head. Theo seemed frustrated as he took another slow breath, contemplating his next words.

"Listen, Rebecca, I know you're the Deputy's daughter and you probably think you can handle anything, but the truth is, there are things that no one can really understand," Theo said, looking over to gauge her expression. It showed nothing but confusion. After he finished, it dawned on her that he didn't know she was aware of the supernatural. More similar than you think. He was similar to Gus? Was Theo Raeken a werewolf too?

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Rebecca said. She sounded irritated, because she wasn't sure she wanted Theo to know everything about her just yet. She looked beyond him and sighed. This conversation would have to wait. "We're here."

Theo parked his car at the side of the road, turning to Rebecca quickly. Her hand rest on the handle but her attention was on Theo.

"Listen, I know I sound crazy, but you have to believe me on this one, alright?" Theo begged. He seemed desperate to keep tiny bit of trust he managed to get. Rebecca furrowed her eyebrows, pursing her lips together.

"Thanks for the ride," she said while climbing out of his truck. She swore she heard a groan of frustration, but her attention was fixated on the MonHeim household.

She tried to shake out any anxiety she had while walking up their driveway and climbing up their porch. She turned around, and saw that Theo hadn't drove off yet. Knowing that she wasn't alone, even if her company was someone she didn't really trust, emboldened her.

She knocked on the door three times, and on the last rap the door popped out of its place and creaked open. Uneasiness washed through her as a smell that made her gag wafted out of the dark house. She pushed the door open all the way and nearly threw up. What the hell was causing that awful stench?

She took a few more steps, hand trailing the wall to her left as she searched for a light switch. The smell got more and more awful as she went deeper into what she knew was the living room.

Rebecca finally found the tiny plastic rectangle she had been searching for. She flicked the light switch with her finger.

Light illuminated the room, but her eyes were riveted on a hand print right next to the light switch. Her stomach clenched. It looked like it was made from blood.

Rebecca spun around, her left hand still on the light switch as if trying to glean support from the wall. Furniture was discarded all over the room. And much to Rebecca's utmost horror, so were the MonHeims.

Connor's mother was held up against the wall, stapled there by her clothes as blood trickled out of her mouth and from the gaping wound in her stomach. She looked like she had been impaled. Connor's older brother, however, had been drowned in the massive fish bowl that took up almost an entire wall. The water level was lower than usual so his body and slack expression were visible from where she stood. He bumped against the glass but Rebecca couldn't breathe, much less react.

Finally, Connor's second brother, who was eight years old, was decapitated, his body at his mother's feet. Almost all of his exposed skin was covered in blood from various scratch wounds. A trail of blood dribbled across the floor. Rebecca, still in too much shock to do anything but stare, followed it with her eyes.

The boy's head finally had rested only two feet from where Rebecca stood. She could see his empty eyes and the flesh in his neck.

It was when she saw this, she snapped out of her trance.

Rebecca opened her mouth and screamed.

The noise was high pitched and sliced through the silent night like a blade. She gathered in her limbs, and tried to cover her mouth to stop the awful wail that emerged from it, but her hands were shaking too ferociously. Her neck whipped from body to body as she slammed her back against the wall. Her legs were too weak to move any farther.

Around her vision, black spots danced. She was going to pass out soon, but horror surpassed any other emotion.

She faintly heard someone yelling her name. She stopped screaming with a deranged gulping noise. Tears streamed down her face as she shook horribly. She turned to see Theo had run into the house as well.

He looked at the bodies, a mortified expression on his face. He brought his attention back to Rebecca when she started to hyperventilate. She was staring at the youngest boy again.

"Rebecca," Theo said, his voice loud enough to be heard over her panicked breathing. He grabbed her arm, turning her to look at him. Her hands extended, grabbing his jacket and pulling him closer. Rebecca buried her face into his neck, squeezing her eyes shut.

Theo didn't even hesitate before wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Her chest heaved, trying to erase the image of the MonHeim's from her mind. Rebecca could feel Theo's rapid heartbeat along with her own. In a weird way, it made her panic lessen ever so slightly. It was proof that she wasn't crazy, that the MonHeim's were dead, but without actually having to look at their bodies.

Rebecca subconsciously pressed even closer to him, and he rubbed her upper back soothingly.

Rebecca hiccuped, and she opened her eyes fraction. She could hear other people, most likely from the houses nearby, mumuring about what could be happening. Hopefully they had called the police.

Finally Rebecca took a deep breath, releasing the fabric of Theo's jacket. She was still trembling, and her fingers ached from being clenched for so long, but she wriggled out of Theo's embrace and wiped a few tears from her face.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed Theo to put a gentle hand in the middle of her back and guide her out of the house. When the cool night air brushed past her face, she shivered. Confused and curious faces barely held her attention. Instead, she walked with Theo until the edge of the driveway.

She ignored any questions about what was inside. A few people, she knew, ventured into the MonHeim home, and she could hear the faint sounds of puking. Rebecca bit her lip as if it would stop her from shaking. A woman had informed them she had called the police, and now they just had to wait.

Rebecca allowed Theo to wrap his arm around her body, his hand coming to rest on her arm, for two reasons. It was mostly because she was still in shock, and in denial that what she had just seen was real. Yet another part of her was grateful he hadn't bothered asking if she was okay or not. She might have been recoiling from him as usual if he had uttered something as idiotic.

"Looks like you were right," said Theo, looking over her head to see if a police car had come racing around the corner yet. Rebecca looked up at him, her face almost devoid of all emotion. He looked down at her, and his expression seemed to say a million different things. "About coming here."

"Yeah," Rebecca said, her voice only quavering a little. Her mouth dipped into a slight frown, thinking over what Connor had said. Who had killed his family? It didn't look like they had been dead for very long...

Rebecca refocused, and she noticed how Theo was looking at her: Like he was surprised she had recovered so quickly from the sight she had just seen. As much as it pained her to remember, however, the MonHeim's definitely were not the first bodies she had seen in her lifetime. Yet there was a bit of awe mingled in as well, and she had to look away. Every part of her that was pressed against him seemed to coil up. She felt wrong for being so close to someone she knew she couldn't trust, but she let him hold her anyway.

Even though she tried to hide her brief flash of discomfort, she could feel Theo shift, releasing his hold on her. His arm dropped to his side and Rebecca quickly took a step away. Despite knowing that he was looking at her, Rebecca couldn't tear her eyes away from the street. Even though he was a safe distance away, his presence seemed to take up more space than when they were touching. Great. They stumble on a murder together and now things are awkward.

Distant sirens got closer and closer every second, and soon about three police cars were zooming around the corner at the end of the street, approaching quickly. Rebecca let out a breath of relief when they pulled up to the house.

A gruff officer she didn't recognize hopped out of the first car, ordering everyone to vacate the property, waving away people with his arms. A few more officers rushed into the house, and Rebecca could see them gag at the smell of the dead bodies

Two policemen approached her and Theo. One of them, who gave her a nod, spoke in a firm yet soft tone: "Miss Virk, if you'll please just follow me."

She blinked as he put a gentle hand on her elbow and started to guide her towards a car. He probably recognized her as the Deputy's daughter, but why was she being brought in so soon? More vehicles were arriving, including what must have been a detective and a few specialty officers.

She hardly had time to express her confusion when she heard a loud thump and a few grunts. Rebecca whipped her head around, resisting only slightly against the officer that guided her.

The second officer, who had brushed past her, was putting handcuffs on Theo who was bent over the hood of a police car. The officer was listing off his rights, and Rebecca managed to catch Theo's eye for a brief second, enough to see puzzlement and a bit of fear in his gaze.

Rebecca turned back to the officer who was leading her to the nearest car. "What's going on? Why is he being arrested?"

The officer tried to keep a steady voice as he opened the back seat of his car and gestured for her to get in. Rebecca's eyes widened as she watched Theo be shoved into a different car by the other policeman.

"Miss Virk, we don't want any trouble. You're being brought in for dire questioning, but everything will be explained when we arrive." The officer once more gestured for her to get in. She unceremoniously entered, and the door was closed after her. Her heart was pounding, but soon they were pulling away from the MonHeim household, the car she was in not too far behind the car that held Theo.


	7. The MonHeim Crime

There wasn't much to do, except twist her hands in her lap and glance at a practically motionless wall clock every five seconds. The small interrogation room she had been placed in was dull and grey, and the table and wooden chair she sat upon were both a boring brown colour. She had been waiting for about twenty minutes now.

Rebecca hadn't seen her mom on the way in, only expressionless officers that pretended not to recognize her as she was sent to her not-quite-a-prison-cell, closet sized room. She had seen Theo be dragged in another direction, but she didn't dare try to get his attention. She didn't know what she would say, anyway. They weren't actually friends.

Also, the way quite a few officers went into a room she knew they were holding Connor, Rebecca had a feeling that they were being sent in regarding the business of his family's brutal assassination. Had Connor said something? Was his sending her to his house a way for him to frame her for something she didn't do?

Though in her mind frazzled with shock, she couldn't quite muster the energy to be anything more than terrified.

The door opened and a small woman with turtle shell glasses walked through the door. Rebecca instinctively flinched away from the sudden noise, but tried to settle her breathing and greet the woman with a neutral expression. Unfortunately, it ended up looking more like she had committed many serious crimes and was about to admit to all of them.

The woman closed the door and sat across from Rebecca at the desk. The woman crossed her legs, her large nose twitching every few seconds as she examined Rebecca with a careful eye. Rebecca immediately retracted her hands and entertwined them on her lap.

The woman raised her eyebrows. _"Oh, shit."_ Rebecca thought. _"Now she really thinks I've done something wrong. I'm definitely a smooth criminal."_

"I've heard that your mother has been demanding to know why we've taken you in for questioning." The woman's voice was low and it put Rebecca on edge. Though, since the sight of the MonHeim's body's were still framed in her mind in all their gruesome glory, that was reasonable. "She seems convinced you've done nothing wrong."

"Do you think I've done something wrong?" Rebecca bit her tongue so hard she visibly flinched. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say is; am I in trouble?"

"I think we'll find out in a few minutes, won't we?" the woman said. Her voice seemed friendly enough, but it was stern also. Rebecca blinked, straightening slightly and giving the woman a blank stare. She knew what was happening. It happened in every lame cop show ever. Turtle Shell Woman would squeeze the truth out of her until she shattered like an old window pane and spilled everything.

Despite being chilled to the core and her limbs still being a little jittery, Rebecca knew that she was made of bullet proof glass, and she'd just have to play along until it was over. _"Bring it on, Turtle Shell,"_ Rebecca thought.

"Why did you decide to go to the MonHeim house, Rebecca?" Turtle Shell asked, leaning forward, her brown eyes amplified in the lenses of her glasses. They pleaded with her silently, as if secretly trying to show that if she could be vulnerable, so could Rebecca.

Rebecca, although not falling for the subtleties, was stumped already. What was she supposed to say? _"Well, I broke into the police station and talked to your current prisoner, the eldest boy of the family I found murdered. How do we know each other? It's funny you asked. You see, he's a flesh eating Wendigo and I was helping him stifle his cannibalistic urges-"_

Rebecca nearly cracked a smirk, but hid it as clearing her throat. Turtle Shell woundn't have found it very funny.

"Rebecca?" Turtle Shell cocked her head, pretending to be very concerned. "Are you alright?"

Rebecca just stared back at the woman. Maybe if she sat still long enough, everything would just go away. Yet as panic rose in her ears when Turtle Shell's expression briefly flickered from a worried friend to a furious demon from the seventh circle of hell, Rebecca knew she had to say something.

"Um..." Rebecca breathed. Wow. Great start. "Me and Connor MonHeim are close friends and I wanted to stop by to check up on him."

"Close friends? How close?" Turtle Shell asked, leaning back in her chair as if what was going on wasn't an interrogation.

"He's my ... _boyfriend_ ," Rebecca lied. She played off her moment of panic and waved her hand dramatically, and started to ramble pointlessly. "You know, we're still at that awkward stage where we're close but not technically, you know, together. Like, we're not holding hands and eating each other's faces in public."

Rebecca felt weird talking about Connor in that way. However, Turtle Shell seemed to buy her act as she nodded.

"And why did Mr. MonHeim need checking up on?" Turtle Shell asked. Before Rebecca could open her mouth the door flew open. Turtle Shell spun around, her glasses becoming crooked when she pushed away from the table to investigate the sudden noise. She fumbled to realigned the lenses with her pupils as the intruder walked into the room.

Rebecca kept her expression neutral even though her eyes were glued to the newest addition to the small room. Turtle Shell stood, as if trying to display her level of power, but she fell a foot short of the other person's eyes, so the desired effect evaporated.

Turtle Shell's voice was loud and strong when she spoke. "Who are you? Why were you let in? Don't you idiots know this is a confidential interrogation with a witness of a-"

Her voice was cut off when the man who had entered the room pressed his forefinger to her forehead like some ancient ritual. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted, landing with a loud noise on the cheap flooring.

Rebecca gripped the armrest of her chair so tightly her knuckles turned white. She wanted to rise, but when she finally met the man's eyes she shrunk away from him and offered a sheepish wince. He tilted his head, shaking it slightly.

"Rebecca, I swear. Why is it always you I have to save? Why don't you ever leave it to the adults?" the man scolded. Rebecca rose from her chair, emboldened by the lack of anger in his tone.

"Sorry, Mr. Otsuka," Rebecca said, giving him a weak smile. "I guess trouble is just attracted to me."

He gave her a stern glare before stepping aside and ushering her through the door. Rebecca scurried through, head bowed slightly like a disobeying child. People were strewn across the hall, but Rebecca hid her small frown by wiping her nose. She had seen this done once before, but on a much smaller scale.

Once they reached the end of the hall, Myriam Virk stepped out of a dark office, letting out a sigh of annoyance, but also relief. She gave Rebecca a blank look before locking eyes with Mr. Otsuka.

"All the tapes have been removed, are you almost done here?" Deputy Virk asked. Rebecca didn't miss the way her mother's hand was firmly pressed to her gun holster. Had something else happened that she didn't know about?

"I believe there are a few more people I haven't gotten to yet," Mr. Otsuka replied. He absently gestured to the nearest officer, who was slumped against the wall with a dazed look on his face. His eyes were rolled back into his skull, just like how they had left Turtle Shell. The whites of his eyes along with the quiet groans he omitted made the sight of him, and the other officers in the hall, disturbing. "We'll work out how to stifle the rumors later."

Rebecca's mom nodded. There was a rhythm to the way they worked through this problem, as if it was a mere speed bump. Rebecca started to wonder how many times this had happened to have the procedure come together so quickly.

Mr. Otsuka was a financial manager. Apparently in his free time, he tampered with important police evidence and erased memories, assaulting officers in the process. Not to mention the Deputy helped him.

Rebecca allowed Mr. Otsuka to guide her down the hall, bypassing her mother. Rebecca decided to just stay silent for the time being. She could tell that both her and Mrs. Virk were not pleased with each other, but a domestic scolding would have to be put on hold for more serious issues.

Mr. Otsuka opened a door that lead to the room Connor was being held in. Rebecca immediately noticed how the boy looked disturbingly different from when she had seen him only about two hours before. His eyes were red and puffy, his neck and shoulders slumped as his forehead rest on one of the bars that kept him in the cell.

Rebecca took a step towards him, but a hand wrapped itself around her forearm. She reflexively jerked her arm away, but Gus held fast. He gave her a knowing look. He must have been waiting for her here. Rebecca turned to look at Mr. Otsuka when Gus did. Ren's father gave Gus a nod, but when his gaze rest upon Rebecca, his expression morphed into something like sympathy. He was perhaps the only one that had felt her turmoil of emotions, still skewed and sketchy from seeing the MonHeims.

Rebecca lifted the corner of her mouth a fraction to show her gratitude. He watched her face for another moment before ducking his head and returning to the hall, his footsteps clear in the eerily silent station.

Gus quickly closed the door behind Mr. Otsuka. His grip loosened on Rebecca and she used this momentary distraction to yank herself free and practically run to where Connor stood, tears silently falling down his face. He had been told about his family.

Rebecca placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and the other on his cheek. She was no Satori, but he was in so much pain she could practically taste it. She wanted to reassure him in some way. She wished there was a way she could bring back his family, because even though he hated them, they were all he had.

"Connor," Rebecca said, her voice embarrassingly shaky. She could feel tears welling in her own eyes. "Who did this to your family?"

Connor didn't react to her words, instead keeping his steady gaze on the floor as another tear leaked out of his eye. His face was contorted into sadness but when he gasped for breath it was almost inaudible. Her thumbed wiped away another tear, but his face was practically submerged in liquid, so she only suceeded in smearing it across his cheek.

Once again she felt Gus grab her arm, dragging her away from Connor. She fought slightly, but he was much stronger than her. Rebecca, after allowing herself to be tugged a few feet away from Connor, snatched her arm away and settled her icy glare on Gus.

"I know this must be hard, it all happened so quickly," Gus started. Rebecca couldn't help but roll her eyes, turning her body so she could shake her head at the window. She honestly wasn't in the mood. "But we can't just forget that this boy ate someone, he's still dangerous-"

"He ate someone that was dead," Rebecca interjected, looking at Gus from the corner of her eye. "It's not like he went out and murdered someone brutally, which had happened to his entire family!"

Gus clenched his jaw, then tossed his gaze from Connor to Rebecca until he sighed, running his hand through his greying hair. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Rebecca. Your mother and Mr. Otsuka feel the same. We hate how you seem to always be involved in these kind of cases."

Rebecca crossed then uncrossed her arms, looking anywhere but at the old man in front of her.

"You're not invincible, Rebecca. You're not like us," said Gus. "And we all know that one day all these things that have happened to you are going to catch up and you're going to wind up seriously hurt. Or worse."

"What?" Rebecca taunted. A buzzing sound filled her head and blood rushed past her ears. Gus reeled back slightly at her tone, more from surprise than anything else. Maybe it was because she was still so pumped up on adrenaline, or because she hated knowing that she had just stood by as the MonHeim's and Travis were murdered, but one thing was for certain; she was already involved. She just had to break the news to the thick-headed adults around her. "Worse as in I'll end up dead? People have already died because of whatever the hell is happening!"

"Yes, and we know that if you continue down this path you're probably going to have the same fate," Gus hissed, his calm demeanor vanishing more every second.

"How about, instead of worrying about me, you focus on the people who are actually in danger!" Rebecca yelled. She felt like screaming until her throat bled. Her fingers tingled as the blood that pumped through her made her even more brave. Brave enough to stand up to an alpha, to her friend. "I'm not the target right now! Kids have been going missing, dying even. You, Mom, and Mr. Otsuka cannot possibly afford to be worried about me while this is happening!"

"We don't want kids to deal with things that murder other children," Gus responded, his voice loud and clear. He pointed a finger at himself as his eyebrows moved with his words, as if to highlight what he was saying. It was clear she had struck a nerve mentioning the kids he didn't save. Who knows how that had been weighing on him. "You're just a kid. You don't understand the responsibility of looking after someone else. Every time a kid has gone missing your mother looks sick, praying to God that your name isn't going to be uttered. Mr. Otsuka has to worry about Ren, and we all know he's not ready to take on what his father does."

"Maybe he would if you let him," Rebecca interrupted, the image of her friend in her mind. "If you think hiding us in the cupboards while you go out and face the bad guys is going to help us at all, you're delusional. If we gave Ren some time, and helped him, then who knows what he can do!"

"We don't want to have to force children into that kind of responsibility!" Gus roared, his eyes flickering from dull grey to blood red. Rebecca didn't even flinch. "You and Ren have the chance for a normal life, because that's what we want! That's what parents do, for God's sake, we make our kid's lives easier so they don't have to deal with the shit we do!"

"What about Kamilla?" Rebecca asked, lowering her voice. She had subconsciously been leaning forward, a piece of her strawberry blond hair in her mouth as her eyes widened, in a challenging manner. She didn't even blink as Gus instantly shifted moods at the sound of her friend's name. "Does she have a choice?"

Gus opened his mouth, but closed it quickly. When he finally did speak, his voice was practically a whisper. "Kamilla ... she doesn't have the same situation as you or Ren."

"Okay, so she doesn't," Rebecca shook her head slightly. She couldn't help but feel a wave of triumph wash through her as she saw how greatly she had effected Gus. "But even after you turned her, even after she was thrust into the world of the supernatural, you didn't give up on her. Even after all of the horrible things she did when she couldn't control herself, you helped her! And now, she's alive, and she's a better person. Why can't you see, that outcome is possible for me and Ren too. If you just give us a chance even when we mess up ..."

Gus swallowed a lump that was obviously forming in his throat. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl in front of him.

"If Mr. Otsuka trains Ren he could learn to not only read minds but alter them also. He could learn to adjust memories, like what Mr. Otsuka is doing right now," Rebecca said, nodding along with herself and brandishing her arm out as if displaying something that wasn't there. "And if you just give me a chance. Please, I know you feel like you can't trust me, but if you can trust Kamilla, you cant trust me. I swear ..."

Gus sniffled, although he tried to hide his moment of weakness by clearing his throat. When he finally looked at Rebecca, there was something in his eyes that reminded her of how she used to respect him like how she would respect a father. Rebecca, for a fragile moment, believed that she had finally said something that would change his mind about her at last.

"We can't, I'm sorry."

His words hit her like a slap to the face. She blinked. His jaw was set and his eyes were unreadable.

"What?" Rebecca said. It felt like that was the only thing she could possibly say to his outright statement. She sounded like he had just told her that someone close to her had died. Her brown eyes were large and round but he didn't crack.

She didn't want to look like she was pleading for a different answer, she just wanted a reason as to why, even after all she's done to try and prove that she was capable, he still didn't trust her. She wanted to know why that ever since a few months prior he had been acting like he hadn't watched her grow up, instead trewting her like a burden.

"You're not like us, Rebecca," Gus said. There was something in his tone that sounded like he was trying to reach out and apologize for his true feelings, but Rebecca drew back when he took a half step towards her. She turned towards Connor, where he had yet to move from his position still. Gus let out a long breath, looking at the girl in front of him with a regretful expression. She leaned away from him, but thankfully he didn't notice how hard she was trying not to cry.

Rebecca crossed her arms, her gaze never leaving Connor's weeping form. Gus turned away, but Rebecca's miserable stance didn't falter until the door behind her swung open.

She turned to see who it was, traces of her displeasure clear in her furrowed eyebrows and frown. In walked Theo, her mother hot on his heels. She closed the door behind them, and Rebecca uncrossed her arms, turning to face the two who had just entered. She had almost forgot about Theo until that moment. She caught his gaze, and he gave her a pursed-lip grimace before Myriam pushed him none too gently away from the exit, and Rebecca.

"Alright," her mother began, looping her thumbs through the belt in her trousers and giving the four other people in the room hard, lingering stares. "Well, as you all must know, we have a predicament on our hands. Mr. MonHeim in the corner has eaten Travis DeClair."

Rebecca shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms as they took turns looking back to watch the boy who had finally looked up, listening to their conversation.

"But, as you may not know," Myriam continued, giving Rebecca a pointed glare before staring straight at Theo. "Connor tells us that he was forced to do it, as his family's lives were on the line. He was forced to do it by, as far as we know, Theo Raeken."

Rebecca's head whipped around, and she stared at Theo in horror. She took a step away from him. She knew that something was different about him, and now she had something to justify her mistrust.

Theo, however, looking dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the Deputy who glared back at him, her face stony and unreadable. Soon his face cracked into panic and terror, and watching it unfold was like punching a mirror and watching all of the shards fall to the ground.

"What?!" Theo exclaimed, and when he couldn't get Myriam's face to respond he turned to Gus, then Rebecca, then finally Connor. He shook his head, but his gaze landed on Rebecca again, and she leaned away from him even when he stood six feet away. "You actually believe that?"

"I've known Connor for years." Is the only thing Rebecca offered. Her gaze turned grim, as if they were already sentencing Theo to a life in jail. His shoulders slumped and he looked at Gus, his last hope.

"Myriam, it isn't fair to just accuse him when all we have as proof is the boy who ate someone," Gus argued, gesturing to Connor as if he were a stray animal. "I've known Theo for quite some time now, and I can assure you, he can be trusted on this one."

"Thing is, Augustus," Myriam turned on her coworker so quickly it made Rebecca's head spin. "You don't know him. You've been working with him for a few months. Maybe he was just working with you to get sensitive material."

"Why didn't you tell me Theo was working with Gus?" Rebecca blurted out, unable to stay silent. Adrenaline was once again pumping past her ears. "Maybe if I had known I could have kept an eye on him at school, so he wouldn't have had the chance to do anything like this-"

"I'm still here," Theo interjected, pointing his hand to his chest and leaning towards Rebecca as if she had just personally insulted him. There was an intensity in his eyes that screamed he was fighting for his life, and that just made Rebecca scowl in disgust. If he was responsible for killing Connor's family, he didn't deserve to throw in his two cents.

" _Enough_!" Myriam yelled, looking straight at Theo. "You don't get to have an opinion on this matter." She then turned to Rebecca. "And the only reason you're still here is because you are a witness and the one who found the MonHeim's. Don't think being here is a right, it's a privilege that you have not yet earned. And that is why I didn't tell you."

Rebecca pursed her lips together and Theo ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Her mother turned back to Gus, a new found impatience in her eye. "I told you from day one you shouldn't have trusted him. He's a kid, Gus. You can't just fight to the death about not letting some kids join then greet others with open arms."

"There's a difference," Gus defended himself, and Rebecca couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Kamilla and Theo are different. Rebecca can't handle what's out there, and you know it."

"You trust him but not me?" Rebecca exclaimed, ignoring her mother's demands and icy glare. "He's been in this town for like, a month!"

"I'm not arguing with you again, Rebecca," Gus whirled around to fix Rebecca with a withering look. "I told you once and I'll tell you a million times, they're different from you!"

Rebecca nodded, as if she understood, but her face mirrored not acceptance, but rage. She understood now. Gus only trusted werewolves because he was one. He trusted Kamilla even though she had killed people before, and it showed in her blue werewolf eyes. He trusted Theo even though he just arrived. Rebecca wanted to hit him repeatedly. "Right. You trust them because they're your little protégés and you're scared I'll deviate if you try and control me."

Gus looked like he was about to explode, all the rage that had been building up since they had argued only about ten minutes prior coming to the surface. He took a step towards Rebecca, ready to unleash his anger, but he never even got the chance to speak or brandish his werewolf claws.

Myriam Virk had her gun pulled out in three seconds, and the sound of the bullet getting put into place was enough for everyone in the room to freeze.

Even though she didn't point it at anyone, the wrath behind her eyes made shivers go up Rebecca's spine. She now had everyone's undivided attention, especially since Gus and Rebecca knew that she always carried silver bullets around with her in case she needed it.

"Rebecca, shut it and don't speak again unless you're spoken to. You know better than to egg someone on like that, you're not five years old anymore. Understand?" Rebecca nodded twice, bowing her head in shame. "Good, that's your last warning."

Myriam then turned to Gus, who she was closer to. In both her hands she twirled the gun around using her fingers. "And Augustus, you leave my daughter alone, I don't care what the circumstance. You threaten her one more time and so help me God, these murderers running around will be the least of your problems. Does that paint a clear enough picture?"

Gus grunted, turning away and taking a step back from the group. Mrs. Virk took a deep breath before unloading the gun and slamming it on the table closest to her. "We have enough problems right now, and we don't need you all messing around like toddlers."

Myriam turned, now leaning into Theo, as if visually representing how she hadn't forgotten about him. "So, Theo. Can you prove in some way that you didn't threaten him and force him to eat Travis DeClair?"

"I've never even spoken to him before," Theo said hastily, as if he had been holding in his words the entire time. "I knew he was on the football team, but I only saw him in the halls occasionally..."

Mrs. Virk glanced from Theo to Connor in his cell. When the boy didn't respond to her questioning look, she spoke. "Is this true?"

Connor didn't reply. He just stared at the ground. The Deputy groaned under her breath then took a half step towards Connor, her one hand straight and pointing at him as if he needed his words to be guided out of him. "Connor, answer me."

The boy muttered something quiet under his breath. Myriam blew air through her nose before striding over to his cell, where he stood motionless.

"Answer me loud and clear, Mr. MonHeim. Or I'll have to take his word over yours," Rebecca's mother demanded.

"Yes," Connor finally said after another heartbeat. Rebecca's expression changed from being attentive to being extremely confused, and she shifted to see the scene that was unfolding.

Myriam's eyebrows shot up, and she gripped a bar with her right hand and leaned in closer to the boy. "Connor, is that a yes to what he said?"

Connor nodded his head, and along with it, said, "Yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

Myriam used her other hand to drag her fingers across her face, exasperation clear on her features. "So you're telling me that you lied when you told the Sheriff that this boy had made you do this? You lied when you said that this boy threatened you, that if you didn't eat Travis DeClair, he would kill your family?"

"Yes."

The Deputy let out a string of curses under her breath, walking a few steps away from Connor. Her sharp gaze settled on Theo, who was releasing a noticeable sigh of relief, running his hands through his hair. Myriam faced him, earning her Raeken's full attention once more.

"Where were you at exactly seven p.m. earlier this evening, a.k.a, the approximate time the MonHeim's were killed?" Myriam demanded, Gus let out an exasperated breath, but the Deputy raised a single hand as if to block out his opinion.

"I-I was at a gas station-" Theo replied, his gaze flitting over to Gus, who nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I was filling up my truck and I-"

"At exactly seven p.m?" Mrs. Virk asked in a loud voice. Theo blinked, furrowing his eyebrows as his mouth twitched slightly.

"Well, no. It was a bit before seven, maybe six fifty or something," Theo responded, and when Myriam tilted her head to the side in annoyance, he hastily continued. "I swear, I was. You can go find the footage if you want."

"We don't have time for footage, Raeken," Myriam seethed, her cold tone drastically opposite from the fire behind her eyes. She still didn't believe him, despite what Connor had said. Rebecca recognized her voice as the one her mother used when Rebecca got involved in something she shouldn't. It made Rebecca relax ever so slightly, knowing that at least someone was willing to act upon the bad gut feelings this guy created whenever he was around. "Do you have a justifiable witness? Someone that we can call? Did you see the clerk's name tag at the desk when you paid for your 'gas'?"

Theo opened his mouth, an array of sounds that sounded like the beginnings of explanations that died under the Deputy's harsh glare. Suddenly, when Theo looked back at Gus, his focus zeroed in on Rebecca, as if he had forgotten that she was even still there.

"Rebecca was at the gas station at the exact same time as me!" Theo finally expelled, his voice fueled by triumph. Yet when he brought his gaze back to Rebecca, who's eyes showed nothing but mistrust, he faltered slightly. Rebecca could see the fears he struggled to swallow; would she lie? Did Rebecca hate him so much she was willing to falsley prosecute him?

"Is that true?" Myriam asked, her eyes not wavering for even a second from Theo in front of her.

Rebecca wanted to. She wanted to lie because she hated how he had just waltzed into their town and scooped up those closest to her, or was trying to. But, as much as she wanted him to go away forever, she knew that wouldn't help trying to find the people who really had murdered Connor's family.

Rebecca's shoulders relaxed slightly, and as if her mom could see her, she nodded. Her mouth thinned into a strange, but reassuring smile, and her gaze met Theo's. She didn't like him much, but seeing all of his worries evaporate before her eyes made her find her voice.

"Yes," Rebecca said. She tore her eyes away from Theo, who's face was twisted into a relieved smile, and stared at the back of her mother's head. "I was at the gas station with him. We were at Hurby's, off of Wharncliffe. It was right around seven, like he said."

Myriam shifted feet, leaning her shoulders forward slightly, favouring her right leg. "Fine. Then what about after that? What'd you do after you left the gas station?"

Rebecca grinned at her shoes. At least someone credited her two cents in serious matters. Theo, however, was struggling not to crack under Myriam's fierce eyes once more as he rubbed the back of his neck and squinted slightly at the back window, as he tried to remember just exactly what had happened.

"Um, I was driving home, because I had just left Kamilla's house," Theo started, but Myriam cut him off quickly.

"You live up near the North End?"

"Yeah, actually, I do," Theo answered, chosing to wave off the question and continue despite no signs of Myriam gesturing him to do so. "But as soon as I got there I got a text from Gus and he explained everything to me, well, the important stuff, and he wanted me to come down right away. So I hopped back in my truck and drove to the police station when I saw Rebecca again."

Theo explained the rest of the story, right up to the part where a gruff women, much like Turtle Shell, was brought in and interrogated him. Myriam turned to fix Gus with a scathing glare, which he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, kid," Myriam said, finality and exhaustion in her voice. "Your story seems to have checked out alright, but if you think I won't look into it more, you're wrong. However, Gus and I are going to be having a long chat about your affiliation with him, so don't get too comfortable."

Theo nodded, turning away and rubbing his face with both of his hands, blowing out deep breaths as if to calm his racing nerves. Rebecca unfolded her arms, not liking the way her mother had yet to address her. Yet she had a feeling that she was in for a shit storm later, when they were alone.

"Otsuka should be done by now, he's probably already left," Myriam continued, looking at the clock and walking across the room to check down the hall. After peeking her head out, she shut the door slightly, not closing it all the way. "They should be waking up soon."

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something, but the air in the room suddenly became thick when she heard a bullet being clicked into place. She turned as quickly as she could to the source of the noise, which was behind her.

Myriam's face paled as she reached into her holster to find her gun, but realized that she had left it on the table. But now it was in someone else's hands.

Connor MonHeim, who wouldn't hurt a fly, looked like a caged animal, with terror seemingly stuck to his expression. Despite his lower lip trembling, his hands were steady as the barrel of the gun pointed directly at Gus' heart.

Theo, who was behind him, took a quiet step forward, but Connor, with his heightened senses, wasn't fooled. Without turning his head or wavering his position, he shrieked: "Nobody move or he dies!"

"The little runt pickpocketed me," Myriam muttered from across the room, helpless to stop what was unfolding. Rebecca's gaze flitted over to the cage door, that was only slightly open, the keys he had snagged from her mom still attached. How had no one noticed him escaping? With Gus, and most likely Theo's, super hearing, they should have caught him before he had grabbed the gun.

Yet Rebecca knew, even as her heart sunk with dread, that Wendigos were masters of the night. If Connor didn't want to be heard, he wouldn't be, which was an unfair disadvantage.

Gus raised his arms in surrender, knowing that a silver bullet to the heart wasn't good for anyone, werewolf or not. Myriam made eye contact with Theo, shaking her head and warning him not to make a move. Rebecca, who had felt like her blood had turned to cement in those few moments, suddenly jolted back to life when the finger Connor had dancing over the trigger, twitched.

Yet she could do nothing but stand still, trying to problem solve a situation that was definitely not in her favour. So, as much as it pained her to do so, when Connor spoke, she listened.

"I'm going to walk out that door," Connor said, his voice shaking considerably, yet there was a definite calmness underneath his fear that made the desperation in his eyes terrifying. "And you're going to let me without incident, or I'll kill all of you, starting with him."

"Connor-" Rebecca said, her voice slipping out. She sounded irritatingly vulnerable.

" _My family's dead_!" Connor screamed, tears streaming down his face, yet he looked everywhere but where Rebecca stood. "I'll kill you like they were killed."

The Deputy swallowed a lump in her throat, fists clenched at her sides as she shook with the effort to keep herself completely still. Connor jerked his gun upwards, motioning for Gus to come closer. The police officer took three slow steps towards the crazed boy before Connor spoke through gritted teeth.

"That's enough." Gus looked at Connor grimly, as if wanting to rip him apart piece by piece, but knowing that he couldn't take an unplanned step without having a hunk of silver lodged in his chest. "Come on, walk slowly. We're leaving, and the three of you wait five minutes after we leave before you move, or he dies. Come on!"

Connor's demands were unchallenged. When Gus and Connor walked by Theo, Connor gave him a warning glare, filled with malice Rebecca hadn't known the boy could possess.

Rebecca bit her lip, watching the clock just like Theo and her mom. She forced herself not to move, even though after a minute Myriam ducked into the hallway, obviously going to get more officers to help with their current predicament. Rebecca, however, was trying not to cry. She wanted to be mad at Connor, but if their roles were reversed, she would have done something much worse, so despite her better judgement, she felt sympathy wash through her.

After three minutes she let out a long breath and looked at Theo, who was already looking at her. A single tear leaked out of her eye, but she angrily brushed it away. She looked away from him, her sights set on the exit beside him. When she tried to walk by, he grabbed her arm.

"It hasn't been five minutes yet," Theo said, as if she hadn't known.

"I know," Rebecca responded, clenching her jaw and forcing herself not to full on slap his hand away. Theo pursed his lips, releasing her, but matching her quick pace with his own long strides. Rebecca pushed open the door, slower than her pride would have liked. She looked at Theo out of the corner of her eye. "You should go get my mom."

"I was about to tell you the same thing," Theo replied, raising his eyebrows. She huffed, but after a few moments of walking, when her rationality set in, she was glad to have someone with her, just in case. "Do you have any idea where he was going?"

"Yeah, actually," Rebecca answered, pointing north towards the forest that was only about a kilometer away. "Connor loves the woods. He knows almost everything about them."

Theo said nothing, but Rebecca could almost hear his judging thoughts. She twitched her nose slightly, but froze when she saw out of the corner of her eye something moving in the patch of trees beside them.

She froze, instinctively reaching her arm across to push Theo backwards and protect him. But when Gus sprinted out of the brush a few seconds later, she sighed in relief. Before she could open her mouth to express anything, he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"He took my gun and is heading towards the main road, down near Southdale St. He's confused, crying, and very dangerous. We need to tell your mom-" Gus explained, eyes wide as his heavy breathing slowly subsided.

"There's no time," Rebecca interrupted, shaking her head. She dodged Gus' attempt to thwart her, darting around his arms and jumping over a log into the brush where Gus had directed her towards. "Get my mom, I'll calm him down."

Gus swore loudly, calling her name before internally fighting the urge to catch up to her and drag her by her hair away from danger. Instead he turned to Theo, who with a raised eyebrow, awaited his instructions. He licked his dry lips, looking back at the station where still slightly bleary cops were emerging from, disoriented, but on a mission.

"Listen, kid, I've gotta' go help Myriam on this one," Gus said finally. "Go after Becks. She's brave, but she can also be mighty stupid."

Theo laughed slightly but nodded, wasting no time following Rebecca into the brush and disappearing as well.

* * *

Rebecca followed the sound of sobs to find Connor, and when she finally reached the place where he had stopped running, she wished she hadn't.

In both his hands he help pistols, but he held them so limpy, she mustered the bravery to take another step closer. She knew he heard her, but his head was buried in his armpit as he wailed out his sorrow. She was surprised the police force hadn't caught up to him, making all that racket.

Rebecca kneeled before where he lay draped on a half-felled tree, resting her hands on her knee and pearing up at his face twisted in sadness.

"Connor, listen to me," Rebecca said, her voice slow and when it reached Connor he lolled his neck so he could watch her expression. "I know that you're not okay right now. No one is, and all we want is to find who did this to you. Please, stop fighting us, we're not the bad guys."

"I'm a cannibal," whispered Connor, his voice meek. Rebecca's shoulders dipped down and she lowered her gaze when he sat up, leaning over her. He didn't seem threatening, but Rebecca couldn't reach his broken gaze when she needed to be strong. "I have been since birth. When I was breastfeeding I nearly gnawed off my mother's breast! I've always been the shady creature that lives in caves, and you can't tell me otherwise."

"I'm not here to tell you what you are, Connor," Rebecca responded. Her eyes wandered up to his eyes, and she forced herself to smile while covering his one large hand with her own. "I'm here to tell you that not all monsters do monstrous things."

Connor looked at her for a long moment before cracking a fragile, cracked smile. "You quoted that from somewhere, didn't you?"

Rebecca gave him a small grin in return. "I might have gotten inspiration, yeah."

There was a long moment when Connor looked at Rebecca, and she realized that the boy sitting in front of her tried harder than anyone she had ever met. He was born a beast but at a moment where sorrow and grief were no doubt strangling him from the inside out, he still had the courage to call Rebecca out on her plagiarism, just like old times.

Connor's neck snapped up when a twig cracked only a few feet away from where they sat. Rebecca tried to spin around, but she barely had time to comprehend that Theo had arrived to break up the party, when the hand she placed on Connor was yanking her back. Connor wrapped one arm around her neck and put a gun up to her head, his heartbeat hammering against Rebecca's back.

Theo stopped short, staring at Connor with wide eyes. Rebecca looked at Theo as her breaths came in short, strangled gasps. The night around them seemed to become even colder, especially when Connor spoke in his cool, emotionless tone:

"Take another step and she dies."

* * *

 **Haha this was late. But this chapter was long! Let me know what you think...**

 **julieakaweirdo - Your reviews are so uplifting to me omg :) Thank you! :D**


	8. Riverside Duel

Theo raised his hands in surrender. However, he didn't look particularly scared. Rebecca, however, with a pistol pressing painfully against her skull, was terrified. She tried to yank Connor's arm away from her neck so she could wriggle away, but he held fast. Her gut stirred slightly, but she forced herself to stay calm.

The moon above them made Theo's face look sinister, and him being the only one who could possibly help her wasn't reassuring. Especially since he didn't look like he believed Connor would actually shoot her, which was easy for him to say.

"Stay back," Connor repeated, even though Theo hadn't moved. "Just leave me alone."

"Let her go and I will," Theo promised. However the sureness in his voice made Connor become even more agitated. Rebecca let out an undignified strangled sound as Connor squeezed her neck even tighter. A slight breeze blew past them, causing hair to enter her mouth, but no oxygen went to her lungs.

"No," Connor bit back, readjusting his no doubt sweaty grip on the pistol digging into Rebecca's head. "You let me walk out of here with her."

"I can't let you do that," Theo argued, his voice lowered slightly as his gaze flickered to the madness in Connor's expression to Rebecca's bulging eyes, then back again. "Connor, let her go."

Rebecca didn't miss the way Theo took a microscopic shuffle closer, and apparently neither did Connor. He pushed the gun against her head so ferociously, he forced her to twist her neck at a very uncomfortable angle. He shrieked: "Stay back!"

"Okay," Theo said, lowering his hands so they came to rest at his chest, his fingers splaying to show that he had nothing to hide. "Alright, I won't come any closer."

"You let us walk out of here," Connor demanded, spit flying out of his mouth as he annunciated each word as if Theo was a stubborn child. "And you don't try and follow us for two hours."

Theo looked like he was going to argue, but shut his mouth quickly and Connor continued.

"If you don't follow us, I'll let her live," Connor said, his voice lilting as if he was providing a good bargain. "If you try and come too early again, I'll make sure you'll never be able to find her body."

Theo nodded, lowering his hands completely, so they fell to his sides limply. Connor relaxed his grip on Rebecca, and she tilted her chin upwards, allowing a deep breath of air to enter her lungs. Theo watched with furrowed eyebrows as Connor gruffly dragged Rebecca by the neck through a few bushes. He didn't move until the sight of the crazed Wendigo and his hostage were completely out of sight.

Theo Raeken cursed loudly, yanking out his phone and dialing Gus' number. The officer answered after three rings, and Theo felt himself deflate.

"You need to call back all of your men you sent to the road and get a search party ready," Theo said, looking back to where the sounds of Connor and Rebecca had long since disappeared. Damn Wendigos. "We have a serious problem."

* * *

Connor had adjusted their position, finding it too awkward to walk while simultaneously strangling her. Instead, he walked a half step behind her, knowing that she couldn't run because he was not only bigger than her, but faster as well.

He had her left arm in a vice like grip, his other hand holding one of the pistols to the small of her back. Rebecca's right hand twitched as she forced herself to just walk wherever he was leading her. She wanted more than anything to spin around and knock the pistol out of his hand, but she knew that there was another one lodged in his pocket and she would have a bullet in her body ten seconds after she tried anything.

"Connor," Rebecca said, her voice calm as if trying to disuade a little kid from throwing a temper tantrum. In response he poked her with the pistol, and where the cold metal touched her, she could feel a bruise forming.

"Shut up," Connor muttered. He sounded like Rebecca was the least of his worries. He probably was checking over his shoulder to try and hear sounds of pursuit.

"No," she replied. Rebecca could almost feel him stiffen, readjusting the grip on the pistol. For a millisecond he removed the pistol from her back. She tensed, prepared to retaliate. Yet in the next moment his hand was on her upper back, obviously still holding the pistol, as he shoved her from behind.

Rebecca flew forward, Connor's hand that had been holding her vanishing in a heartbeat. She landed on hard dirt, barely having time to reach out her hands to soften her fall. She omitted a loud, " _Oof_!" but wasted no time hauling herself up so she was standing as well.

Connor just watched as she back up to a clearing. He took a few steps to keep her in firing range, but allowed her to distance herself until he whistled mockingly.

"Watch your step," he called, his voice light.

Rebecca pivoted her waist, and much to her surprise, she discovered if she had taken another step, she would have died. She teetered on the edge of a cliff that dropped off down to a river.

Rebecca took a small step away, her eyes wide. The only light came from the moonlight struggling to make it through the numerous leaves. The entire clearing had a silver glow to it, and the shadows it casted made Connor's face unreadable. Rebecca knew exactly where she was now.

She was standing at gunpoint at the path where she watched Travis DeClair get murdered.

Connor watched as Rebecca swallowed, her throat dry. Even though she was obviously out of options, he didn't lower the gun.

"Seems kind of fitting, doesn't it?" Connor asked. "You dying where you let an innocent boy die?"

Rebecca didn't know whether to be shocked or scared. "But ... you told Theo that you'd let me live if no one followed you-"

"I changed my mind," Connor interrupted, his voice quiet and calm.

"Connor," Rebecca said, her hands raising in a pleading position, palms up. "Please, you don't need to kill me. You don't need to kill anyone."

"Neither did you," Connor spat, venom in his voice, but not his expression. He tilted his chin upwards so she could see the absolution in his eyes. "That's right. I was told exactly what happened to Travis DeClair, and not your pixie dust version either."

Connor was already scaring her, but after he spoke those words, she was downright horrified. "I never did anything, Connor, I swear."

"You," Connor yelled, ignoring her. He started to shake his head, his eyes wide. "You're just full of lie after lie. Lying to your mom about what you're doing, lying to Theo about who you are, and lying to the world about Travis DeClair!"

"I swear, Connor," Rebecca insisted. "I'm not lying."

"I have a better source than you!" Connor exclaimed, his voice shrill. "They told me that you helped them. You weakened him so that they could kill him. You're working with them!"

Rebecca froze, and her breath caught in her throat. Those doctors ... those _Dread Doctors_ that she saw when Travis was murdered ... was that who Connor was talking about? Had they got to him somehow, first at the school, then now?

"Connor," Rebecca said, her voice low and steady. "Who told you this? Were they doctors?"

"I know you know who they are!" Connor shrieked, tears falling down his face. "I know you know the Dread Doctors! I know that you sold out my family to them so they could be murdered!"

"You think-" Rebecca faltered. She blinked, suddenly crushed. He thought that she had sold him out? "Connor, no. You're my friend, I would never do that to you."

"You know me too well," Connor said through gritted teeth. "You used me. You knew I had feelings for you and you manipulated me into being clueless about what you were doing. Who else visited my house enough to know when all of my family would be home? To know their schedules?"

Rebecca saw his bottom lip wobble. He was fighting to keep his emotions down, but the betrayal and the devastation were like neon signs in his eyes. They flashed his true thoughts.

He continued: "At first I thought that they were feeding me lies. You were my friend. Then, when you brought Theo Raeken with you, when you were 'comforting' me, who was ready to claw my eyes out without hesitation, might I add. I knew everything they said was right."

Rebecca opened her mouth, but Connor took three quick steps towards her, his voice rising as he did so.

"Don't you dare speak, you stupid bitch!" Connor screamed, pressing the pistol to her forehead, ready to blow her brains out. He lowered his voice, so he was calm once more. "I'm going to kill you, right here, right now. And then, you'll finally feel how I feel."

Rebecca was frozen on the spot, even as she watched Connor put his gun away. He looked down in order to properly tuck it into his pants, and when he looked back up his gaze was pure white. He opened his mouth to snarl at her, and his teeth and tongue were replaced by sharp daggers for teeth and a black void where his throat should be.

He extended his hands quickly towards her. She finally snapped out of her trance when she saw on the palm of his hands, the same daggers and void lashed out towards her. It was like little mouths just sprouted there on whim, ready to eat her flesh on contact.

Rebecca screamed, but it lasted only for a second. She cut herself off abruptly. The scream startled Connor, and in his hesitation, she raised her arm and punched him directly in the nose. He staggered backwards.

Rebecca ducked away from his flailing arms and scrambled away from the edge of the cliff. She knew that if she could just escape into the forest, he'd never be able to find her.

In her haste, she failed to realize he had swiped her feet from beneath her until her chest hit the ground, hard. The air was knocked out of her, but she forced herself to roll away from her current position. Sure enough, Connor's foot slammed down where her upper back was three seconds prior.

Rebecca arched her back, leaping to her feet using only her leg muscles. Connor was dazed at the maneuver, but sprung to life when Rebecca nearly hit the trees. In a desperate attempt to keep her from escaping he lunged forward. Connor managed to grab her left foot, dragging her off her feet and making her fall once again.

Rebecca could feet the teeth on Connor's hand ripping the fabric on her now ruined suede shoes. She shrieked, using her right foot to repeatedly kick his hand, his arm, even his face when he tried to drag himself closer. Rebecca finally got a solid hit at Connor's throat, and he released her.

Rebecca used her hands and legs to propel herself forward, away from Connor. She heard his screams of anguish, but she only got about five feet into her victory escape when two hands clamped themselves down on her arms.

Rebecca gasped, bringing her knee up to attack her captor, but stopped when she heard their voice.

"Rebecca! It's me, are you alright? Did he bite you?" Theo asked, desperation in his voice as he panted heavily. He sounded as if he had stopped running a few seconds ago. Relief flooded through her. Even though the forest was extremely dark, she nodded her head vigorously.

"I'm fine! I'm okay!" Rebecca insisted, and when she finally relaxed in his grip, he let go.

"Leave him, let's go," Theo urged, getting ready to turn and run. Yet before she could reply, Theo looked beyond her and stiffened. Even in the near-darkness, she knew that Theo was mentally preparing himself for a fight. Why couldn't Connor just have stayed down?

Rebecca turned just in time to see Connor jumping forward, his mouth opened to impossible sizes. His eyes glowed slightly, and even though they were blank, they were bloodthirsty. His hands were outstretched, ready to grab her. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

Theo none too gently shoved Rebecca out of the line of fire. She hit a tree and cried out in pain at the awkward angle she hit it. Theo, however, took on the full brunt of the attack. He went flying backwards and landed on his back with Connor on top of him. Theo's eyes began to glow as well as he growled out his discomfort.

Connor's palms were firmly lodged into Theo's shoulders, and Rebecca knew it must have hurt like hell. A Wendigo's teeth digging into your flesh as it ate you alive was no picnic. Theo, however, took it in stride. Rebecca recognized his tactic as he used his pain to trigger turning.

When Theo raised his lips to snarl in agony once more, his teeth were now long and jagged. His eyes resembled that of a canine, except yellow and angry - very angry. When he brought his hands up to yank Connor off of him, his fingernails had turned into long, sharp claws.

With inhumane strength Theo kicked Connor off of him and rose to his feet. Rebecca watched, holding her arm absently. Theo had not only used his pain to help him turn, but he brought out his feral instincts, and Rebecca hadn't seen that before. He reminded Rebecca of a cornered animal, and that was exactly what he was going for.

In the heat of the moment, Rebecca was actually impressed.

It wasn't long until Theo was attacking Connor again, pushing him until he was backed against a tree. Theo used his elbows to keep Connor's hands away from him. His claws made Connor screech in pain when they sliced him. Connor kicked Theo back and it looked as if they were caught in a heavy battle of, _Don't-Touch-Me-With-Your-Hands._

Rebecca, however, knew that if this kept up, one of them would get seriously hurt, maybe even killed. Finally they separated, and Theo got a good scratch across Connor's chest. However, the bite marks on Theo were too numerous to count.

Rebecca picked up the largest wooden stick she could find, coming up behind Connor as he prepared to lunge at Theo. She braced herself, bringing it around her head, and swinging it like a baseball bat. Connor sensed the movement before she could do any serious damage, but he wasn't quick enough to evade her attack completely. The branch connected with his shoulder and it sent him flying.

Theo stopped mid snarl, lowering his hands to give Rebecca a surprised look. She cocked her head, breathing heavier than normal due to the effort it took. He started to change back, and in a few moments he was completely human looking once again. He jerked his head in the opposite direction of Connor. She nodded, dropping the stick and running. Theo waited until she was a good few paces in front of him before following.

Rebecca was prepared to disappear into the forest and leave a very out of his mind Connor in her dust. She tried so hard to do so as well.

The sound of a gunshot echoed in her ears and hit her almost like a physical blow. Out of instinct she immediately hit the dirt, scrabbling to make herself as small as possible.

A cry of horror and pain made Rebecca crane her head up. Her brains might have gottem blown out in the next second and she wouldn't have cared. Her vision, though not perfect, had grown used to the poor lighting. Enough to see what was happening. She looked up to see Theo falling to his knees, one arm shaking and trying to touch his own back while the other scraped the dirt to drag him away farther.

Connor, with gun raised in a proper stance and everything, emerged from behind a tree just long enough to aim another shot at Theo's leg. Another gut-wrenching howl came from the boy, and Rebecca leapt to her feet in seconds.

She jumped over a stump in her way. She sprinted the five paces it took to get herself between Theo and the gun. Or, more specifically, the boy holding the gun.

"Connor!" Rebecca screamed, her voice shrill with hysteria. The intensity of the situation made her eyes water and her knees weak. She raised a hand to keep back the gun, as the other arm was protectively outstretched to ensure Theo was still there. Her fingertips found his back, and she could feel him trembling in pain. "I won't say it again; drop the gun. Or you'll regret it."

Connor, although half hidden behind the trees, hesitated. Rebecca hoped that it was because he still trusted her, that he believed that she was just trying to help. Either way, the Wendigo started to lower the gun.

Rebecca didn't relax, not even for a millisecond. Theo, although he was panting and groaning in pain, managed to raise his head. His hairline glistened with sweat and he could feel the silver bullets inside him making his flesh scream in agony. However, he still had the strength, and the willpower, to be thoroughly confused about the scene behind him. Moments ago Connor MonHeim was a death machine, but now he was backing down?

Did the boy care for Rebecca that much?

No.

Connor swore he saw Rebecca tilt her head, looking back to check on Theo. In that second, he swung the gun around again, aimed right at her head.

Rebecca spun around so fast she was practically a blur. Using the hand that had been resting on Theo, she whacked the barrel of the pistol away from her. Instead of lodging in her skull, the bullet buried itself into the log.

Theo could hear the breath catch in Connor's throat. MonHeim was staring at Rebecca's face, the gun now looking awkward in his hands. Although Theo couldn't see her face, he could smell Rebecca's change of mood.

The buzzing in her gut that had been nagging her for the last few hours intensified. Connor had just tried to murder her without hesitation. She couldn't afford to hold back because of their past, for her _and_ Theo's sakes.

The hand that had hit the pistol curved until it looked as if she was holding an imaginary rock. The sight of it was just out of Theo's eyesight. Rebecca furrowed her eyebrows and gave Connor the most poisonous glare she could muster.

The feeling in her gut started to grow into a near tangible feeling in her throat, bubbling out of her very core. Connor took a step back. Theo practically lurched forward. He couldn't see what was going on and it maddened him.

Before Rebecca could react, however, a loud whir of a machine silenced the trio. Rebecca watched Connor's face morph from muted fear to horror. He dropped the gun in his hand, stumbling away from the source of the sound. He tripped over his own two feet in his haste to distance himself. The clicks of machines and the strange glitching electrical sound instantly made Rebecca identify the noise. It was the sound of the Dread Doctors.

Rebecca, although the swirling in her torso hesitated, roared back to life as she faced where she thought the sound was coming from. She wouldn't let Theo die ... and she would try her best to save Connor. Before she could order the MonHeim boy to stay behind her, Rebecca heard a loud snap of a tree branch. She turned just in time to see him sprint into the forest, abandoning Theo and Rebecca.

Rebecca felt anger bubble, but it was eased when she realized the sound was fading. Or, to be exact, the sound was moving away. It seemed to follow Connor as he loudly and ungracefully crashed through the trees.

Rebecca was relieved, but soon after she felt guilty. Connor was her friend, she still cared if he died. However, friends don't normally attempt to eat and shoot each other, so she allowed herself to relax.

Rebecca knelt down next to Theo, placing a firm hand on his far shoulder. She rested her other one on the arm that had been supporting him. It was trembling, and concern panged through her. Though she focused most of her attention on her hearing, straining to catch even the slightest hint of the Dread Doctors.

Despite her vision playing tricks on her from time to time, the sounds passed without incident, and the Dread Doctors - along with Connor - were gone. After releasing a long breath, Rebecca turned to Theo and began to properly panic.

Rebecca didn't know exactly what to say. Instead, she help Theo slowly lower to the ground, his cheek resting on the hard earth. His breathing was ragged and it causing worry to course through her.

The blood that oozed out of his wounds wasn't promising. There wasn't much she could do for him. She didn't feel like ripping the bullets out of his body and sanitizing the wound right after. Before she was contained with Turtle Shell, the police officer that had drove her to the station confiscated her phone. She couldn't even call anyone for help. Instead she looked to Theo with an etched expression of worry.

He had been staring straight at her. At first she thought he was grimacing in pain, but she realized he was smiling.

"This must be really weird for you," Theo breathed. Oh yes, he still thought she didn't know about the supernatural. He must have thought she had taken all of what had happened in stride, and now he was impressed. How sweet.

"Well, I've dealt with murderers, but not with glowing eyes. Gotta keep the game fresh somehow, I suppose," Rebecca said. She mentally slapped herself despite Theo's snort of amusement. Now was not the time for jokes. "But for now you've been shot, and at least you're not trying to eat me. Where's your phone?"

"In my left jacket pocket," Theo grunted, shifting to give her easier access. Rebecca awkwardly leaned across him, fishing into his pocket while trying not to touch his wounded back. She prayed his cellphone wasn't broken. She yanked it out and held it up to her face. When she turned it on the light blinded her, but at least it was working.

"Thank goodness," Rebecca muttered, squinting at the phone extended a few feet away from her face. She was calling 911 in an instant, tapping her fingernail on the ground impatiently for the phone to register the call.

After a few seconds Rebecca, beyond the voice of the man who was answering on the other end, frowned. Something changed. She told the officer to wait and looked at Theo. He was lying still, eyes rolled back into his head, and quiet. Very quiet. She nearly dropped the phone in panic. He wasn't breathing.

"Theo!" Rebecca exclaimed, her voice hoarse as she reached out and checked his pulse. Nothing "Oh my god, Theo! If you die, I swear to god I'll kill you..."

"Miss, stay on the phone, we're using a satellite to track your location as we speak," the cop on the other end explained. Rebecca wasn't listening, too busy yanking off her jacket. She laid it down beside Theo and rolled him onto it in a matter of moments. She flinched, because it would have hurt if he wasn't so close to death. Even a werewolf could only take so much pain. Maybe she should have ripped out the bullets...

She positioned her hands over his heart area and began to press down on his ribs. Finally the bone broke, and she was able to properly pump his heart. After a few seconds she shifted, plugging his nose and forcing his mouth open.

"C'mon, Raeken," Rebecca muttered after blowing air into his mouth. She went back to pumping his heart. "Don't die. You save my life, I save yours. Deal?"

* * *

Many hours later, it was a hassle to escape from her mother's hawk like gaze. Yet even the Deputy had to sleep sometime, and although Rebecca was exhausted as well, she snuck out of her own house and hopped into her car as quickly as possible. Using a small, messy, sheet with directions, she drove to the East end of town.

She parked her car down the street from the house she had her sights set on. She tried to be as quiet as possible while walking down the sidewalk under the streetlamps at about four in the morning. It felt more awkward than it looked.

Finally reaching the house, she dove into the driveway and tried her best to stealthily sneak around to the backyard. Luckily, there weren't many people out to gawk at her at this time of day. She bent down next to a window that obviously dropped down to a basement, and positioned herself to open it. In a stroke of luck, it was already open, and she peered down to ensure a safe landing.

Rebecca wriggled through the open window and dropped down to the carpeted floor without a sound. She really hoped they didn't have any pets.

Using the minimal light that poured in from the window, she slowly turned in a circle to adjust her eyes to the dark room, and to find what she was looking for. Rebecca's sights settled on a door with a large sign that spelt something in upercase, wriggly letters. It was something about a band, Rebecca vaguely remembered the name, but it was irrelevant. She walked up to the door and used her sleeve to open it, to try and minimize fingerprints.

There was police tape across the doorway that she ducked under, and some more across the few windows. There was two strips making an 'X' across his four poster bed. Rebecca quietly shut the door and tried not to step over anything as she made her way across the room.

For such a small place it certainly was ridiculously messy, with candy bars strewn everywhere and the odd pencil abandoned on the floor. Not to mention the heaps of books that took up a quarter of the room's surface, spilling over the bookcase and every available table.

Rebecca never knew Travis DeClair was such a book lover. Though, she supposed she didn't really know anything about him, other than he was Mieko's boyfriend.

She bent down to the nearest book stack, rifling through it and much to her dismay, not finding what she was searching for. There were so many books, though, so she knew it would take a while.

She searched through a few more piles before standing and stretching her legs. She yawned and raised her arms above her head. She lazily glanced around the room before her eyes snapped back to his bed.

Laying right near the pillow, was the book she was looking for. With its cover up and exposing the picture of the Dread Doctors with their names written in bold lettering. Rebecca stepped awkwardly over another pile of books, picking up the one she wanted gingerly, as if it was made of glass. It wasn't very big, she guessed it was about one hundred and fifty pages or so.

Rebecca opened it to the very first page, skimming the first line. She frowned as she finished the page, flipping to the next. Then the next. After a few minutes of standing there in the middle of Travis' room and reading, however, she snapped out of her trance. She needed to get out of there, before someone came down to investigate why there was suddenly an open window letting in cold air.

She retraced her steps, closing his bedroom door then using a nearby desk to haul herself out of the window. She closed that as well, and practically ran to her car. She threw the book into the passenger seat, the red glass eyes of the Dread Doctors staring into her soul as she pulled away into the street and towards her house.

As she drove she found that most of her attention was clouded by what she had read. She nearly ran through a stop sign as images of the book raced past her minds eye. Her breathing became unnaturally deep and in desperation her right hand left the wheel and reached towards the book, fingers trembling.

It was the best lead she had, and she would be damned to let it slip past her fingers. Something always seemed to happen right before she could properly look into these Dread Doctors, and she was paranoid it would happen again. So she wasted no time pulling over onto a grassy break in the line of houses, and parking her car so she could read.

Rebecca lost track of time, but she was so invested in the story, she couldn't stop even if she tried.

A while later she was nearing the end, and she swore that her exhaustion was finally catching up to her. Her focus wavered and she seemed to read entire pages without absorbing anything. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a tonne. As if she was suddenly hit, Rebecca slumped forward, her head hitting the top of her steering wheel. The book fell to the ground, but she was already unconscious.

* * *

 _There seemed to be something artificial about the way she dreamed. First of all, her dream started as soon as her eyes closed, and she could remember every second of it. Even when the scenery was just coming into focus, looking like a fog was lifting, exposing the trees around her_

 _It didn't take her long to figure out where she was. It seemed she would never escape that place._

 _The part of the forest near the stream, where she watched Travis get murdered. Except, this time she wasn't just plagued by the awful memory of that day. The dream suddenly became dizzyingly vivid. Right in front of her, just as she had remembered, Travis lurched towards her sickeningly. His movements were primal._

 _Even though Rebecca remembered exactly how the fight had happened, there was something surreal about watching it happen again. She felt herself reach into her pocket and yank out her phone. She looked down and saw that it was covered in waves of static. Rebecca found that she couldn't bring herself to move. The only time she could do something, it was to fulfill an action she had done exactly the same the day she did it. She was reliving the entire experience._

 _Rebecca knew, then, what was coming next._

 _The Dread Doctors emerged from the forest, taking ahold of Travis. Rebecca tried to attack them, but they grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Except, instead of being dazed and barely conscious like she was that day, Rebecca watched what was happening with startling alertness._

 _She watched as the Dread Doctors crowded around her, their glitching movements making her want to recoil. Yet she couldn't move due to the large hand holding her down. Rebecca didn't remember this happening._

 _Travis fell down next to her, but she was more interested in the Doctors, who pulled out a drill of some kind. As two of them held down her arms and legs, the one holding the drill bent down and positioned it beside her head._

 _Rebecca watched in her half dream state, horrified as the Doctors prepared to drill into her ear. She could hear the drill beginning to whir right beside the opening._

 _How had she not remembered this happening? Rebecca wanted to struggle, to scream, to get free, but all she could do was watch in mute horror. She was a prisoner in her own body._

 _She could feel the drill reach her ear, and pain flared from that spot. She felt something spark inside her. Rebecca heard the whirring of the drill fade to a dull hum. What was happening? Her vision was stuck on the Dread Doctors still pinning her to the ground._

 _She watched as suddenly they all drew back from her. She felt a burning behind her eyes. Rebecca finally understood what was happening. Much to her confusion, however, the Doctors, who normally twitched and buzzed as if they were holograms, became suddenly extremely unsteady._

 _It looked as if the very particles that kept them together were being separated. The feeling in Rebecca's gut intensified. She watched as the Doctors faded in and out of focus, momentarily disappearing completely before sharpening into focus once more. Even as she was barely conscious, her self defense mechanism was defending her. The Dread Doctors retreated, the whirring and clicking sounds they made growing faint. The wind that had irritated Rebecca had increased to an almost impossible rate._

 _The farther away the Dread Doctors got, the less intense the spinning in her stomach became. Finally, when the Doctors disappeared, it evaporated all together._

 _Rebecca was left lying there, the torrent of wind steadily dying down, but not disappearing completely. Her eyelids were half closed, oblivious to everything that had just happened._

 _The Dread Doctors had left no trace of what had just happened, leaving nothing but a dead body, and a numb buzzing in Rebecca's ears. She lay beside Travis DeClair helplessly as red and silver liquid dripped out of his body and slowly dissolved into the soil._

* * *

Rebecca jolted awake in her car, alarmed. Her heart was in her mouth as her hand instinctively covered her ear. She felt around the opening, and felt no trace that a drill had nearly entered through there. Still, for some reason she had been able to remember it happening. It was as if the memory had been at the back of her mind, but only now was the veil lifted.

And as Rebecca watched the sun rise through her rearview mirror, she feared for her life more than she ever had before.


	9. Dress to Digress

Rebecca found that there was no better way to hide her mess of emotions than to yank out the big guns. Maybe that way, she thought, she could distract other people as well as herself.

The sun was blinding and brigh. Streams of it shone into the linoleum floor of the school when Rebecca opened it. She walked through the doors and intook a large breath of oxygen. It smelt like lead and paper. Perfectly normal.

She stood there for a second, trying to work up the nerve to walk to her locker. Ren was probably waiting for her near it, and as soon as he saw her he would know she was overcompensating. He wouldn't even need to touch her to figure that one out.

Rebecca came back to earth when she noticed a group of girls had stopped their loud conversation to stare at her. Rebecca knew that she should have felt flustered, but it felt good to have positive attention.

Daring to tilt her head up a bit more, she adjusted her bag slightly and continued walking. Most people didn't care when she passed them. Others gave her glances that made the smirk on Rebecca's face grow when she saw them.

Decked out in a rose coloured dress that went to her mid thighs, Rebecca resisted the urge to fidget with the hem when she neared her locker.

As silly as it sounded, Ren's knowledge of the true meaning behind her dressy attire made her self conscious.

So when she finally caught sight of him, gaping while leaning against her locker, she hesitated.

Stopping in front of him, she brought her shoulders up to her ears and spread her hands, scrunching her nose. "Well? What do you think?"

"I'm thinking: How you could have possibly slept and done all this?" Ren scoffed, giving her an amazed sweep from her white flats to her hair, twisted into big curls and framing her face. "And how anybody is going to learn while you look like a super model? If I had known, I would have tried a little harder this morning, too."

Ren gestured to his old polo shirt and jeans. Rebecca laughed and blushed at the welcomed praise. "Thanks, Ren. I just wanted to get my mind off of things-"

"Come on, don't start," Ren waved away her gloomy tone. "Two days ago you went through trauma after trauma. If you want to be Barbie for a day, go nuts."

"You're the greatest monkey alive, Ren," Rebecca said, opening her locker after speeding through her lock code.

"Say it one more time for the record, but exclude the monkey part, please," Ren replied. He watched Rebecca exchange her books. Rebecca shot him a wolfish grin before closing her locker. She fought for a second with her floral printed kimono jacket, as it snagged on one of her zippers. Ren snorted at her quarrel. "The price of beauty."

Rebecca gave him a small shove. "Shut your face."

"Yeah, yeah," Ren fell into stride beside her. They knew the routine; next stop was Ren's locker. "Oh, and before I forget, my dad wants your mom to stop leaving voicemails. He'll head down to the hospital after work today."

Rebecca's face soured into something less happy. For the past few days Myriam had been slipping into a habit of being more stressed than usual, every second of the day. The bags under her eyes had increased tenfold and she looked at Rebecca as if she were a time bomb about to go off.

Rebecca really couldn't blame her. She remembered the look on Myriam's face when she found her daughter, hunched over Theo's body the other night. The look of happiness on Rebecca's face was nothing compared to relief that practically dripped from Myriam's form. Rebecca remembered how her mother had hugged her so tightly she couldn't breathe. It was a nice feeling at the time. But even though she could breathe easily now, it still felt as if her mother was trying to smother her.

"Yeah, I'll tell her," Rebecca promised, holding the rail as she ascended up some stairs. "Later."

Ren hesitated before speaking, not knowing just how far he should press her on this subject. "Alright. Well, speaking of which, have you heard from the patient lately?"

"No," Rebecca answered. Theo had been smuggled out of the hospital last night, how would she have had enough time to speak to him? And why did everyone automatically assume her and Theo were best buds now? "But I have heard my mom scream at Gus for how awfully he snuck Raeken out."

"You shoulf hear what my dad is saying," Ren scoffed, shaking his head. "He's so pissed. He doesn't want to wipe the entire hospital, but now he's got to do a huge part of it. How the hell did Gus manage to survive this long?"

"He's got things on his mind," Rebecca shrugged. She ignored Ren's spiteful glare at her defence of the older werewolf. "Anyway, I don't care. I just don't want to see Theo again."

Ren nudged her with his elbow, silently asking her to elaborate. She ignored him for a few seconds before caving. She rubbed her forehead, exhausted. "I nearly gave everything away the other night. About me, about who I am ..."

"Yeah, you told me," Ren said warily. Why was she so stressed? Rebecca had hid her secret from prying eyes for years, practically her whole life.

"Ren, you know that we've both got a really bad feeling about this kid. I don't care what he did the other day. I can't tell him everything. Not until I'm one hundred percent certain on this guy," Rebecca explained, dropping her arm as her shoulders sagged.

"Good!" Ren exclaimed, happy Rebecca didn't say something along the lines of: 'We should give him the benefit of the doubt.' Or even: 'His hair is too nice for us to hate him. Plus his abs make me drool.' "All the sane people don't trust him. He's definitely interested in supernatural things, and now if he suddenly likes you, we'll know our hypothesis was right ... Rebecca?"

Rebecca ducked out of the stream of people in the hall, and stared wide-eyed at the locker she was standing in front of. Ren was by her side in a second, confusion contorting his features.

Decorated over the locker was a printed out piece of paper that showed a profile picture of a girl. The title of the sheet read: 'MISSING'. Rebecca didn't remember seeing her before, but her name was in bold underneath the picture. It rung a bell: Stacey McLennon.

Rebecca furrowed her eyebrows, her gaze briefly looking over the flowers gathered around the base of the locker. There were various sticky notes posted from friends. It was as if Stacey was already dead. Rebecca's stomach turned as she gave Stacey's picture a lingering stare.

"Another person missing," Ren thought out loud, his voice quiet and low. Rebecca kept her sights on the McLennon girl. She felt as if she was going to throw up. Ren glanced at his best friend, noticing her sick expression, but continuing anyway. "Rebecca, you know what this means."

Rebecca was silent for a moment. When she spoke, she sounded distracted. "We have our third victim. We have to assume it's ... them."

"You're mom didn't tell you, did she?" Rebecca shook her head as a response. Ren frowned. "Rebecca, you have to look over their files. If your mom knows and hasn't done anything yet, we have to, you know that."

"Ren, I don't know," Rebecca said, feeling doubt come upon her. It wasn't a nice feeling. "How the hell am I going to sneak into the station without alerting anyone? And what if my mom catches me? I'm dead meat if she finds out I'm still involved in this."

"Rebecca, listen to what you're saying," Ren pleaded. Rebecca reached his eyes, and her expression slackened. "We're talking about someone's _life._ Stacey's in my sister's grade. This is a _real_ person, with a _real_ family, that's worried sick about her-"

"I know, Ren," Rebecca snapped. "I'll do everything I can, but I'm not sure how much that is."

"Yo, Virk!" Rebecca turned at the sound of her name. However wasn't until Kamilla snuck up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder that she found the source. She flinched at the sudden contact then spun around, angry for only a moment. Kamilla's eyes were hopeful. "I heard you guys - are you actually going to sneak into the station tonight? Because I could come along if you need a distraction."

Rebecca felt flustered, finding herself being wrapped in solidifiying plans she didn't seem to have a say in. "Hey, hold on for a minute, I never said I was going to sneak into anywhere, I said I'd do whatever I could."

"Such a Mommy's girl," Kamilla scoffed, withdrawing her hand and rolling her eyes. Rebecca was about to unleash a scathing comment onto her friend, but bit her tongue at the last moment.

"Rebecca, that's the only way we'll be able to get their information: To find a pattern between the killings! This could prevent more missing people ... and more dead bodies," Ren pleaded. Rebecca folded her arms. No matter what she said, they wouldn't listen. She would try, but she wouldn't betray her mother's trust like that. Her mother was under too much stress already.

"He's right," Rebecca jumped as Theo appeared, entering the conversation smoothly. She turned to look at him, her expression blank. He gave the locker and the flowers a once over before turning back to her. "We need to stop hanging around and start doing something."

Rebecca drew a blank in her mind. Just being near him made her skin tingle uncomfortably. Why was he pressing her as well? He was comfortable with Gus, why couldn't he sneak into the station? Was it because he wanted to push her to the breaking point to find out what happened a few nights ago?

Whatever it was, Rebecca didn't like it. Instead of answering, she looked at Ren for something to say. He looked disgruntled, probably at Theo's use of the word ' _we_ '. Typical.

"You guys aren't even listening," Rebecca groaned, rubbing her forehead in agony. "I won't just sit on my ass and stand by, _hell_ to the _no_. I'll do whatever I can, but I won't lie straight to my mom's face. I don't know about your parents, but I don't like seeing mine in emotional pain."

"If she's not doing anything, then maybe you have to," Kamilla urged.

"Old Yeller over here's right. If the police haven't made any progress, it's time we took this into our own hands," Ren agree. Soon the three of them were nodding and looking at Rebecca, waiting for her to cave in.

Rebecca swallowed her growing frustration. "Would you guys just chill out with the peer pressure? I'm not changing my answer. I won't just sneak into my mom's personal business and betray her like that. You didn't see her the other day; she was more scared than I was when she found me and Theo in the woods."

The bell rang, loud and clear, cutting off any of her friends possible replies. Ren cursed and rejoined the crowd hastily, still having to go to his locker. Kamilla gave Rebecca a spiteful glare before trotting off into the opposite direction. Rebecca huffed indignantly and turned, but took a surprised step back when she realized Theo hadn't followed Kamilla, like he normally did.

"Hi," Rebecca offered, half expecting Theo to just give her a nod and then hurry to catch up with Kamilla. He was probably just distracted by the flowers on the locker, but no. He gave her a not subtle once over, then adjusted his bag. He met her questioning expression with one that showed ... gratitude?

"You know, I never did thank you for saving me back there. You've got a pretty good right hook," Theo said. Rebecca nodded, her mouth forming a thin line. She was certain she wasn't supposed to break the ice with, "Happens a lot," so she decided to stay silent. "This all must be really weird for you, having to get used to all the stuff around you. Hell, even your mom knew."

Rebecca tried not to let her relief be too evident. So, Theo was convinced her weird defensiveness was because she wasn't used to what's going on? Maybe he didn't see her and Connor's face off...

"Yeah, well, I'm just trying not to freak out over everyone, that's the last thing we need right now." it was Rebecca's turn to use that word again: 'We'. Though her guard remained firm and standing, even when she gave him a watery smile. Besides, what she said was mostly the truth, except she was being smothered by more important things. Rebecca decided to humour him ... and perhaps see how far Theo's belief stretched. "I'm just finding it hard to trust them now. I see everyone differently."

Theo looked guilty. He rubbed his forearm with his thumb, as if about to be called out on his actions. "Sorry about that. It's just, it's not easy to explain. Especially since before then you hated me."

"Don't sweat it," Rebecca waved away his words with the back of her hand, then realized the hall was clearing. "I've got to get to English. See you later."

Theo only nodded, and they turned and walked in opposite directions. Rebecca's shoulders tensed and her mouth twisted to an odd sort of grin. There was something extremely satisfying about fooling someone who obviously held more secrets than he let on.

Little did Rebecca know, though, that he didn't believe her. Not for a second. Yet the most frustrating thin? Although Rebecca Virk was probably the most well known girl in the town, he couldn't seem to pry anything out of her. No matter what tactic he tried.

Good thing he had one more in mind.

* * *

Rebecca tried to make the entrance to her own house as quiet as possible. She wasn't sure if her mom was taking advantage of her free time and napping, or just wanted some quiet time away from the station. Either way, Rebecca climbed up the stairs to her room, trying not to make any noise.

Her room was a calming green colour, and extremely bare, with only a desk, a bed, a dresser, and most importantly, a large diagram of the town. It was blown up and took up most of her one wall. On it, her tiny, neat handwriting scrawled out various locations and measurements for past cases her mom worked on. Myriam used to be thrilled that her daughter showed such interest, but now it was just another burden on the Deputy's shoulders.

Rebecca quickly emptied her bag, keeping her workbooks inside. Kamilla had invited her over, probably to persuade her into going to the station to steal the file. But was better than staying at home and risking waking her mother. She looked around the room for her wallet, which she had left on her dresser. She frowned upon finding it on the nightstand. Yet, if she was to make it to Kamilla's before supper, she would have to let it slide.

Rebecca tip toed to her mother's room and peaked through the opening. She frowned upon seeing messy sheets and an empty bed. Continuing down the hall to the study, she saw it was also vacant.

She walked down the stairs and crossed the living room to check and see if her mother was hiding in the basement. Rebecca froze at the sound of her mother's voice. She could hear it clearly, although it was lowered, as if Myriam was trying to hide the fact that she was making the phone call. Rebecca's interest was piqued, and she knelt down on the landing next to the stairs, listening intently.

"God damnit, Gus, I'm not letting my daughter be interrogated twice in one week!" Myriam whispered, her voice laced with anger. Rebecca could hear the floorboards squeaking, and she guessed that her mother was furiously pacing. "I know what she did! But if we can let things go for the sake of her well being, then I say we should. No one knows about this except us."

Rebecca's blood turned cold, and goosebumps formed on her skin. A million possible situations ran through her head. They all vanished once she saw what was lying on a table near the bottom of the stairs: The book she had stolen from the crime scene, _"The Dread Doctors"._

Anger rose in Rebecca's gut. Her mother had went through her room? Her personal belongings? Did Myriam really distrust her that much?

"C'mon, Gus, she was probably terrified. Hell, I was when I read it! I mean, remembering things about these ... Dread Doctors that I never remembered happening? That's just something more crazy than I've dealt with in a while," Myriam reasoned. She stopped pacing and walked into Rebecca's line of vision. Panicking, Rebecca quickly backed up until she was hidden by the wall. "I'll definitely talk to her when she gets home. I want to see if she had remembered something or not. I mean, when I saw them in my vision thing, I had trouble sleeping last night. These big, mechanical doctors moving through the woods, following the MonHeim boy a few days ago? I want that far away from Rebecca. Very far."

Rebecca shook her head slightly, thinking bitterly to herself; "A bit too late for that."

"I'm just scared, Gus. I need to know if she's figured something out that we haven't. We both know that ever since a few months ago she's been unstable ... I don't give a rats ass if you think we should take safety precautions. She's still the same person she was before, Gus, she just needs time to recover. And with all that's happening, I'm afraid that maybe this is delaying that. I want to keep her away from it so she can heal on her own terms..." Myriam rattled on, but the disgruntled feeling in Rebecca's stomach left a sour taste in her mouth.

After all the lengths Rebecca went through to keep her mother's privacy, and little did she know, Myriam was snooping through her stuff. It made Rebecca feel stupid. Not to mention angry. She finally couldn't listen anymore, so making a split second decision, she stood up suddenly, and walked back over to the front door. She took a quick detour towards the china cabinet. There, Rebecca knew her mom hid her spare office and cabinet keys in an old teacup her own mother gave her.

Snatching them off the porcelain dishes, Rebecca spun around and quietly retreated out of the front door. She thrust her keys into the ignition far more forcefully than necessary, but remained calm when backing out of her driveway.

After all, if her mother had no regard for her personal privacy, than Rebecca at least had a right to go and see what her mother was withholding as well.

* * *

She climbed out of her car, scoping the parking lot she was in. Rebecca had decided to play it safe, and park in the building next to the Police Station's lot. She also didn't want to risk her car being towed for a second time. Locking her Mazda, and then realizing her kimono had gotten stuck in the door, she groaned, inwardly disappointed. She wasn't exactly wearing an outfit suited for sleuthing.

Hastily freeing herself, she didn't bother trying to act like she was sneaking into a top secret facility. She used to go into the station and pick up things for her mom all the time, she'd just use that as her cover. But despite herself, she really wished she had taken up Kamilla on her offer.

She walked through the front doors, visible and identifiable. She made it her mission to get in and get out fast, no sidetracks.

Walking up to the officer at the main desk, she gave the man a small smile. When he looked up he recognized her immediately.

"Just getting a few files for my mom," Rebecca said cooly. Though the hairs on the back of her neck stood up in alarm. A thought had just appeared out of her calm demeanor; what if her mom had told everyone to not let her near anything? That she was not to be involved under any circumstances? He would probably not only send her away empty handed, but also call her mother.

Rebecca blinked slowly, not a trace of doubt or worry crossing her features.

The man nodded and waved his hand in the direction of Myriam's office, then ducked his head to resume working on his papers. Maybe this Officer hadn't gotten the message.

Rebecca shoved a hand into the pocket of her kimono, where she had left her mom's spare keys. Her palms were moist with sweat, but she slid the proper key into the lock effortlessly.

Her mom's office wasn't that big, especially compared to the Sheriff's, but she wasn't there to frown at the interior decorating. She flicked on the light, a rotten feeling erupting from her stomach at the familiar motion. In her minds eye, flashes of the MonHeim family plagued her. Shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut, Rebecca forced herself to continue.

Unlocking her cabinet quickly, Rebecca looked at the file tabs. Her eyes scanned labels about mercury, or teen murders, or ...

 _'Dread'_. Rebecca pulled out the folder and opened it to ensure the files were there. Omar Dhal was first, then Travis DeClair, then third was Connor MonHeim's.

Rebecca faultered at seeing her friend's mugshot. He was arrested when he was fourteen for vandalism, then shoplifting. Rebecca forced herself to check if Myriam had added anything else.

There it was, Stacey McLennon's file. Everything from medical records to her parents' cell phone number.

Rebecca closed the file, locked the cabinet, and made her way towards the door. As her hand extended to grab the doorknob, she froze.

Gus appeared right in front of Myriam's office, his attention on something behind him. Rebecca used this moment of distraction to turn off the office light, so Gus could have a harder time looking inside.

Rebecca hid behind the door so she was less visible, but kept her sights trained on Gus. He turned around and looked at the office window. He was silent, looking at it for a second. Then two, then three...

Rebecca's heart stopped when Gus looked over to where she was. She waited for him to open the office door and expose her. There was no way he didn't hear her heartbeat, her breathing.

"But no file on the mercury used?" Rebecca heard a voice say. All sounds were muffled, but not muted, by the glass walls between them. Gus turned to face the person, who he had been listening to when he entered the room.

"There has been, but it's in Myriam's office," Gus replied. He didn't seem to have noticed her, but he would in a second. He turned the handle and Rebecca jumped back, pressing herself flat up against the wall.

The door swung open, hitting the hand she had propped out to avoid the hard wood smashing her nose. Gus turned on the light and walked into the room, unlocking the cabinet with a key and began to rifle through it. Why hadn't he heard her?

Rebecca decided that such a thing was a mystery for another day. She slipped out from behind the door and was about to escape, files clutched to her chest, when she realized someone else was blocking the door.

She held her breath, eyes widening as she craned her neck back to look at who had caught her in the act. She probably looked like a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Her wide eyes met Theo Raeken's. Was this guy everywhere? His own eyes widened as he swept his gaze over Rebecca's terrified face. She was begging him to be quiet, to let her pass. For a second, Rebecca saw him waver. Panic rose in her throat.

Theo stepped aside, using a hand he placed on her shoulder to maneuver her behind him. Theo coughed, trying to hide the sound of her departure from Gus' ears.

She was thankful Theo's chest was much larger than her own, as he hid her from Gus relatively well. She waited for a few moments for Gus to continue rifling through the files. She felt kind of stupid, hiding behind Theo as they stood back to back, trying desperately to steady her breathing. If the officer at the desk looked up, the whole thing would be blown.

Fortunately, Gus started flipping through folders once more. He was talking about how Myriam must have took the cases home with her, since they were missing. Rebecca almost wanted to laugh.

She practically ran to the door, opening it and sprinting to freedom. She didn't stop running until she reached the sidewalk, panting and grinning at her small victory. She just really hoped her shoes weren't ruined.

After reaching her car and sitting there, staring at the files for what seemed like forever, Rebecca peeled away from the lot. She drove at a steady pace, no clear destination in mind. She couldn't go home, but she was sure that Mr. Otsuka would rat her out if she crashed at Ren's place. Kamilla's foster mom was too strict about Kamilla's curfew. Even when Rebecca was right outside her house a few nights ago to see Connor MonHeim, she hadn't even been allowed outside to ask what was wrong. There wouldn't be nearly enough time to look over everything.

She stopped at a red light, a few cars zipping in front of her. She tapped her thumb on the steering wheel and gazed at the sun setting in the west. The days were getting shorter, that's for sure.

Her phone, which she had left in the glove compartment, went off. Rebecca's ringtone was smothered, but she didn't even make an attempt to reach out and see who texted her. Her phone went off again. And again.

The red light seemed to last forever, so in a split second decision, Rebecca reached for her phone to see who was spamming her.

 _"Hey, it's Theo,"_ the first message from an unknown number said. _"Meet me at the school for the mercury files."_ Rebecca dragged her thumb along the screen to see the most recent message. _"Look to your left."_

Confused, Rebecca did as she was told. Her gaze was met with the sight of a large blue truck. From the drivers seat, Theo offered her a sardonic little wave. Rebecca shook her head and grinned slightly, wiggling her fingers in return. She tossed her phone to the side and regripped the steering wheel. She guessed she was going to the school.

* * *

A few seconds after snatching her phone and climbing out of her car, Theo pulled up rather quickly, about ten feet away from where she stood.

"You might want to ease up on the acceleration, pal," Rebecca called to Theo as he hopped out, files in hand. "Unless you've decided you want to finish the job and run me over after all."

Theo offered a humourless laugh, but he didn't look annoyed. Instead, he seemed kind of excited. "You still have them, right?"

"Nah, I chucked them out my window on the way. Didn't you see? You seem to 've been trailing me this entire time," Rebecca taunted. Theo rolled his eyes up to the orange sky.

"I recognized your car. After all, I did nearly run it over," Theo smirked.

"Yeah, good times," Rebecca huffed, leaning into her car and grabbing the files. She waved the folder back and forth in front of her before draping her hand over the top of the open door. "Now what? We've got the files, we just need to look at them."

"Have you called Kamilla or Ren?" Theo asked. Rebecca shook her head.

"Kamilla's foster parents are crazy. She has, like, an hour before she's locked up in her room. Ren's dad will tell my mom that I took these, so he's a no go," Rebecca explained. Theo nodded thoughtfully, then shrugged.

"I guess it's just me and you, then," he said. Rebecca raised her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side slightly. She acted as if the notion was surprising to her.

"Unless you're friends with some other supernatural teens that I don't know about," Rebecca joked. Theo adjusted the files in his hands, but the amusement on his face didn't waver. Rebecca's ringtone interrupted the silence, and she drew back her wrist, the files with it. She rifled through her pockets.

She got another text, this time from her mother: _"Where are you?"_

Apparently the disgust on Rebecca's face was too evident to ignore. "Is there something wrong?" Theo asked.

"No, it's nothing," Rebecca said, putting her phone into her pocket without replying. Theo obviously wasn't convinced. "Okay, me and my mom aren't exactly peachy right now, but it's no big deal."

Theo seemed to not know what to say. Rebecca didn't expect him to say anything, but surprisingly, he felt the need to.

"It happens. Parents can be difficult sometimes," he said. Rebecca nodded lamely as a reply. "But hey, if you're up for it, we can go to my place and check over the files."

Rebecca blinked once, the full weight of his words not settling, but when they did, her mouth formed an ' _o_ ' shape. Go to Theo's _house?_ The heart of the beast? Where he _lived?_

"Are ... I mean, will your parents be okay with it?" Rebecca asked, trying not to show just how frazzled she was. What would Ren think if he found out she had casually hung out with the guy she said she didn't trust earlier that day? Rebecca felt two faced ... and guilty.

"Definitely," Theo responded immediately. He watched Rebecca hesitate. "If you don't want to, I'll just give you the files and you can do it alone, if you're more comfortable with that."

"No! I mean, we might as well do it together. I don't mean that otherwise I wouldn't want to do it with you," Rebecca tried not to cringe at what she was saying. Oh _God._ "What I'm trying to say is, yeah. Let's do this."

Theo looked like he was trying extremely hard not to laugh at her display of panic. He nodded, turning to return to his truck. "Okay, then. Just follow me. It's not too far from here."

* * *

 **What a roller coaster Theocca is, eh?**

 **julieakaweirdo - You're a blessing, truly. :))))**

 **WishUponADragon - No, Connor was not in a good place, at all. Whatsoever. And yes, Rebecca is going to kick someone's ass straight to hell :)))) Yeah, her mom and Ren's mom are the only humans ... awkward. Thanks so much :)**


	10. Nothing Wrong With A Little Johnlock

Rebecca couldn't help but notice just how much larger Theo's house was compared to her own.

It was white, pristine, and Rebecca knew that it was large enough to eat Rebecca's humble abode if it was possible. And as Rebecca stood in front of it, she had a feeling in her gut that the house wanted to eat her too.

She shook her head, trying to physically clear it. Maybe she should pass next time Kamilla wanted a horror movie marathon.

Theo held the front door open for her after unlocking it. She forced herself not to turn around and simply hop over the porch railing to freedom. Instead, she walked in and stepped to the side. Directly before her yawned a long hallway with several doors and a staircase branching from it. She didn't even want to try to stumble through in case one of them lead to something she didn't want to see.

Theo closed the door after he joined her. He offered to take her coat, and she gave him a small smile as he stepped behind her and began to tug it off. She stared down the hall. What could be in those rooms? A bedroom? And office? A safe room?

A sex dungeon?

Rebecca was thankful the hallway was badly lit as all the colour seeped from her face. God, why did she have to do this to herself?

"If you go up the stairs, my room's the second on the right," Theo instructed, handing her the other files. She felt stupid, trying to awkwardly shift them into a more comfortable position. She bowed her head. Colour was returning to her face in the form of a violent blush.

He reached out quickly to catch a file that had slipped from her hands, and Rebecca stared at it wide-eyed. She knew he was looking at her strangely. Maybe he could smell her nerves.

"You know, I keep on forgetting," Theo finally said, sounding like he came to a conclusion to Rebecca's predicament. "You're mom's a cop."

Rebecca let out a humorless laugh. That certainly was a huge part of it. Myriam was known for threatening people who messed with her daughter. Rebecca wondered if her mom had already given Theo the _"paws off"_ speech that she gave to Kamilla, Ren, Connor, and even Gus. Most of her old non-supernatural friends were cowed simply by a well-timed glare.

"If you want to call her or something, I'll just go tell my mom that we're here," Theo offered, his voice dwindling, waiting for a response.

"Yeah, thanks," Rebecca replied. He nodded then took off down the hall. She waited a few moments before heading towards the stairs. They were carpeted and didn't make any noise when she ascended. Convenient if she wanted to make a swift escape.

She followed his directions, passing framed paintings of small birds and artistically weeping angels. Right by his door, a small table had a tiny potted plant whose leaves tickled her when she extended her arm to grasp the handle of his door.

She swung it open, peering in before stepping inside. His room was substantially larger than hers, but seemed the same size by the sheer amount of stuff that was in it. Perhaps Rebecca was a bit biased since she was used living off of the bare minimum.

She deemed his empty desk a good place to set down the files. Above it was a large map of the world, flattened with the countries labeled in red print. Across the room was a flat screen TV, connected to the wall so it hovered over a gaming system. A modern looking chair was pushed up against the wall near it, prepared to move when it was needed.

Rebecca did a quick 360. Huh, she thought to herself. Other than a few dust bunnies, the room was spotless.

In fact, if she hadn't known better, Rebecca would suspect it wasn't inhabited at all. Maybe they had a maid of some sort, or Theo was some sort of crazed neat freak. If the latter was true, it would probably explain why Theo gave off so many bad vibes.

There was a large bookcase pressed up against the foot of Theo's bed, but it wasn't overflowing. In fact, it had hardly any books at all, other than his school text books. Rebecca crossed her arms, the odd feeling in her chest not so easily shook off.

She stood in the center of his room, trying not to touch anything. She cast her gaze to the ground. She was half expecting it to be covered in books.

Rebecca swallowed suddenly, hugging herself even tighter. She finally realized that the problem wasn't Theo's room, but that she was too busy comparing it to Travis DeClair's, everything looked wrong.

All she could think about was how she hadn't known anything about him as she lay beside him while he died. Was he in the middle of a book when the Dread Doctors took him? Was he about to tell Mieko something important?

And probably the most important: Was he scared - was he in unbearable pain? When he finally

* * *

Since her head was bowed, the tear that escaped her eye skipped sliding down her face and landed on Theo's hardwood floor with an inaudible splash.

What was Omar thinking when the Dread Doctors discarded him like a broken toy and left him in the middle of the street? He had probably been alone. Rebecca wondered if he had cried harder than she was at that moment. She wondered if Omar was thinking about his parents and the scholarship he was always talking about.

Rebecca covered her mouth before a gross sob could emerge. She thought about Connor's younger brother Callan, his older brother Lucas, and his mother. She wondered if they had been killed one by one, in front of each other. She could only imagine the horror on their faces, the screams that couldn't quite escape, the fear in their eyes when they accepted that they were next...

Rebecca's knee buckled and she sank to the ground, covering her face, feeling pathetic. Why couldn't she have been faster? Why had she been so slow to figure out how to save them? What was the point of being anything if she couldn't stop innocent people from being brutally murdered?

Rebecca brought her head to her knees and shook, silently crying in the middle of some guy's bedroom. The tears eventually blended together as she dug her palms deeper into her eyes to try and squeeze out the images of dead bodies and the broken souls they left behind.

Suddenly panicked, Rebecca grabbed the base of the backboard on Theo's bed and hefted herself up. Her vision blurred, but she still remembered where she saw a door to what she prayed was a bathroom.

Pushing open the white door that was slightly ajar, Rebecca stumbled into a dark room. Her hand spastically reached out, desperate to find a light switch. It was one of the semi flat ones that respond to a simple press. Rebecca hit it with an unreasonable amount of strength, but the light responded. The bathroom lit up, and Rebecca blinked at the sudden blinding fluorescent light.

She kicked the door closed with her foot, then turned the locked with shaky fingers. Turning towards the sink and grabbing either side with an iron grip, Rebecca dry heaved, the action making her eyes water even more, with pain as well as misery.

Her back arched and her head leaned forward until she touched the round mirror. Rebecca wanted to throw up until all the writhing guilt in her chest vanished down the drain, but nothing came out. She stared at the small black drain at the bottom of the sink, unable to muster the strength to straighten herself.

Rebecca felt the weight of five deaths rest against her shoulders, and the thought of many more making her squeeze her eyes shut tightly. Her family, her friends, every single person in this town that was at risk ...

Her elbows bent and she thrust herself upright when she straightened them. She forced herself to look straight into the eyes of her reflection. The mess of a person that looked back at her was not someone who saved lives. That was someone who sat back and felt bad for herself as innocent people like Stacy McLennon suffered. Rebecca saw a person who shed tears when everything was said and done. The person who said a nice speeches at people's funerals.

Rebecca roughly dragged her fingers across her cheeks, removing most of the salty tears that sat there. Her jaw tightened as her eyes narrowed at the thought of herself. She wasn't going to stand here and cry about things she couldn't help. She was going to use the emotions she felt as energy to push herself even farther.

The next gathering Stacy McLennon would be invited to would not be her funeral, but a nice welcome home party, when she was home safe.

But first, Rebecca had to pull herself together and sift through the files until she finds a way to bring her home.

And then, she would find the Dread Doctors and remove them from the face of the earth.

Rebecca turned on the tap, and splashed some freezing cold water onto her face. Using a spare ponytail, she dragged back her unruly strawberry blond hair and looked at herself in the mirror one more time. She flattened her left hand while the other still held the sink tightly. Without breaking eye contact with herself, she lightly grazed her face with her still ridgid hand. The motion was ritualistic and familiar to her, though an onlooker would think her insane.

As her hand passed by her face, the redness disappeared. When her hand finally reached her chin, her face was void of any tears, water, and most importantly, any proof that she had broke down less than five minutes ago.

Her face was blank, no surprise at what she had just done. She stayed that way for a few moments, before her phone buzzed in her pocket, earning her attention. She pulled it out and looked at it, her expression never changing until she unlocked it.

 _Where are you?_ Her mother had texted her. This was the fifth text Rebecca had ignored. She bet her mom was getting worried, but she was too busy to go home and indulge her at the moment.

 _I'm studying at Kamilla's. Might be late._ Rebecca replied, placing her phone back into her pocket, turning it off as she did so. She knew her mother tried to steer clear of Kamilla's parents as much as she could, and Rebecca prayed that Myriam would just let it slide.

Finally Rebecca let go of the sink, looking away from the mirror as she unlocked the door and opened it. As she turned off the light, she absorbed the sight of Theo sifting through the files that were on his desk. He hardly reacted when she stepped out of the bathroom. There was a chance that he had heard Rebecca, and that he could sense her turmoil of emotions. Yet she knew from experience that she was a difficult specimen to smell and sense.

She wondered if Theo was curious as to why.

Theo dragged his eyes away from Omar's files for a second to looked at her as she made a move to stand beside him. Instead, he handed her Travis' file.

Rebecca stared at it for a second, then looked at Theo. He raised his eyebrows at her delay.

"You seem like the no-nonsense type," Theo explained, his hand never wavering. Rebecca took it after giving up on a stare-down. Maybe he could sense her determination, but either way, he was right.

Rebecca guided herself to the chair across the room and sat down, crossing her legs and opening it with a dramatic sigh.

"What do you think we're looking for?" Theo asked after she was comfortable.

"Anything, really," Rebecca said. "Similar zodiac signs, number of siblings, any allergies, even criminal records."

"So this is the hard part, right?" Theo asked, and Rebecca glanced up at him as he sat down on the chair at his desk. "I wonder if Sherlock and Watson ever had to figure out if their victims were Geminis or Taurus'."

"Of course they did. Being a detective is _so_ _fun_ ," Rebecca sighed, her upper lip inflating as she blew air into it. "But for the record, _I'm_ Sherlock."

"Naturally," Theo agreed, flipping over a page. A pleased smile adorned Rebecca's lips as she snuggled down into the chair a bit more.

Somehow in an hour and a half, Theo and Rebecca ended up sprawled on the ground, resting their heads on their arms and hands. They occasionally tapped their fingers on the ground impatiently while grabbing random pages to compare the files.

Unfortunately, the problem that they faced was the utter disorganization of it all.

"Have you seen Omar's health form anywhere?" Rebecca asked, releasing a page she thought was the one she was looking for. She scooched on her stomach a bit to reach another sheet she thought had ' _Health_ ' in bold letters at the top.

Theo had found a possible lead through Connor and Stacey's medical files. As they were desperately trying to find the other forms, Rebecca thanked her mom for thinking of grabbing the medical files.

"I got it!" Theo said, victoriously passing her the correct sheet. Rebecca snatched it from his hand and placed it next to Travis', Stacey's, and Connor's. She sat up, her stomach and sore back muscles complaining at the sudden awkward movement.

Theo craned his neck to see Rebecca's finger point out what she was looking for.

"So you were right. They've all gotten recent medical treatment," Rebecca muttered, half to herself.

"So they're taking people who are prone to illness?" Theo joked. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"They've all had skin grafts," Rebecca said, finality in her voice as she pointed at the words on the page. Welling excitement bubbled in her throat. "Stacey was apparently making supper six or so years ago when boiled water spilled all over her left arm, and she got a skin graft a while after."

Theo reached out, tilting Omar's sheet so he could read it better. "Omar had a very small piece of skin cancer on his lower back and he got one too."

"Okay, so all of them got skin grafts," Rebecca said, the smile that threatened to break her focus creeping onto her lips. "Oh my god! I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of that? Connor had a skin graft after his dad ... hurt him ... and was sent to prison because of it."

Theo nodded, but Rebecca narrowed her eyes slightly. When it came to Connor he didn't seem so certain. He didn't like using him as an example to compare the evidence, either.

"What's with you?" Rebecca demanded, struggling to keep her voice low. After all of this hype about their new lead, Rebecca felt the sudden negativity threaten to drag her spirits down. "I get it, Connor wasn't exactly a nice guy to you the other night, but he's not always like that. The Dread Doctors got to him. He wasn't-"

"Rebecca," Theo started, then sighed. He licked his lips as Rebecca leaned away from him. "We can't even be certain that the Dread Doctors got to him. I mean, did Travis and Connor act even remotely the same?"

She felt her mouth open in disbelief. "Are you serious? Comparing them, really? I didn't know there was some status quo for people being tortured and changed by freaks called the _Dread Doctors_."

Theo sighed, giving up, and Rebecca did too. "You know what? Whatever. You didn't know him, you don't know _anything_."

Theo was a bit surprised at the scathing in her voice. She flipped through the pages, desperate for any sort of movement to distract her mind. She sighed, trying to raise her spirits once more, after all, they did find their first major lead.

"Do you honestly think that Connor was controlled?" Theo asked after a moment of tense silence. Rebecca didn't avert her gaze from the pages in front of her.

"I know he was," she replied curtly.

"Okay, then I'll believe it too. You did know him better," Theo said, raising his hands as if swearing an oath.

Rebecca looked up at him. _What a goddamn stupid cop-out of an argument that was,_ she thought. He must think she's too naïve to know when someone's buttering her up.

She burnt holes into his head with her eyes, but looked away after a few moments. She swallowed a lump of saliva at the back of her throat. She decided to ignore Theo for the moment, instead focusing on what this new lead meant. Rebecca would have to tell her mom now, to find out who was a possible next target. The police could maybe send out a few people to help look for possible victims.

She started to think: Had Ren ever had a skin graft? Had her mother? Had Kamilla? Not that she knew of, but she didn't know everything about them. Which was fair, seeing as she wasn't keen on giving up everything about herself, either.

Maybe they didn't know, Rebecca thought, and all of her movements stopped abruptly. Her breathing slowed as she stared at Travis DeClair's picture on his medical file. Maybe it was hidden, just like her memories of when the Dread Doctors had tried to kill her that night they murdered Travis. Fortunately, she knew a way to trigger them.

Rebecca looked up at Theo, who stared back, concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked, shifting to listen more attentively.

"Have you ever _seen_ the Dread Doctors before?" Rebecca asked, worrying her teeth on her bottom lip. She was deciphering a way to explain the notion to him that wouldn't make her seem insane. He looked at her like she had grown another head anyway.

"No, I think I'd remember if I had," he replied, curious now more than ever.

"But how can you know for certain?" Rebecca inquired, studying his face, preparing to defend herself if he tried to call the mental asylum. Though she should give him more credit, he was a werewolf, after all, there was a lot of crazy in his life to begin with. In response to her words, however, he simply shrugged and looked uncomfortable. He thought she was accusing him.

"Not that I don't believe you, but what if there was a way that you could figure out whether or not you had seen them ... and then forgot about it?" Rebecca quirked her eyebrow. She waved an incredulous idea in front of his nose, but it all relied on whether he trusted her or not.

"How do you mean?" Theo urged, looking at the files as if she had read some theory in invisible ink. Rebecca sighed a bit, wondering if the worst had past or if getting him to buy the actual story was.

"I found this book called the Dread Doctors in Travis DeClair's bedroom," Rebecca waved Travis' sheet slightly as if to underline this. Theo's head perked up, intrigued already. "And of course I read it. And when I was near the end, I suddenly felt ... like, super tired. And I passed out as if I was in a trance. Then I had this strange dream or vision thing. I was almost reliving the day Travis got killed, just how I remembered, right up until a certain point.

"Then I started to remember the Dread Doctors pinning me down and trying to put some sort of needle in my neck. It was just so real, but I couldn't remember it happening before that moment. But afterwards I just knew that it happened, you know?

"So I think it has something to do with the book. Reading it will trigger some sort of memories inside of your mind that were locked away for some reason. I probably sound crazy, but it's real. Trust me."

Theo watched her for a moment, thinking over what she said. The more he waited, the more nervous she became.

"So you think this book is some sort of key to finding out if the Doctors have gotten to anyone else?" Theo asked, his thoughts almost audibly buzzing at this new information.

"Yeah, I do," Rebecca said, relieved he was giving her a chance. She set down the papers, lacing her hands together then untangling them, becoming more excited by the second. "And maybe when we find Connor or Stacy they can read the book and tell us where the Dread Doctors are hiding out. Maybe we can figure out how they're doing what they're doing to them!"

Rebecca grinned, and Theo smiled back. It looks like they did finally have a serious lead.

"Oh my goodness this is going to be so great! We just gotta tell people now! Like Ren, his parents, Kamilla, Gus, my Mom! We have possible future targets and a way of figuring out more about the Doctors! Oh my gosh, it's Christmas!" Rebecca pumped her fist in the air, grinning. She would save Stacey McLennon. Now she had a plan to go along with her determination.

Theo shook his head and watched as Rebecca rubbed her face, then tried to stealthily stifle a yawn. She was exhausted. If she laid down on the ground she would probably pass out.

"Definitely," Theo agreed to her enthusiasm. "But I got to ask this, though; did you have to fight off Travis like you fought off Connor?"

Rebecca's excitement wavered. A pang of guilt vibrated in her chest, but she cleared her throat and silenced it.

"Yeah, I mean, a bit. Not much, but just enough to make him not kill me, you know?" Rebecca said. "I was trying to lure him out of the forest so I could maybe get some help."

Theo nodded, watching as she looked at her now limp hands in her lap. She blamed herself for his death, it was simply a fact.

"I just ask because I saw how you fought back at Connor," Theo said, but Rebecca barely stirred at his words. "Those were some pretty awesome moves for someone who just happened to stumble upon all of this."

Rebecca sensed his suspicion, thinly veiled by praise. Though it was true that her abilities of self defense had nothing to do with what she was or her relation to the supernatural world.

"Yeah, well, when I was younger my mom enrolled me in some self defense classes. Her friend also offered to teach me some techniques when I became too advanced, and then Gus taught me everything he knew," Rebecca shrugged, trying to sound detached from the subject.

"I could see your mom doing that," Theo said. He waited a second, gauging her reaction. He finally said what he had noticed ever since he and Myriam had walked in on Gus and Rebecca fighting the other day: "I don't want to pry or anything, but what's with you and Gus? You seem so ... you know, and he just..."

"Shrugs me off? Yeah," Rebecca nodded, pressing her mouth into a thin line. She chose her words carefully, knowing full well their time as investigators was turning into a gossip session. "Me and him used to be really close. When my mom first arrived in the country after her family emigrated from Lebanon, Gus totally took her under his wing and taught her a lot of important stuff. He's the reason she became a police officer in the first place."

Theo just sat quietly and watched, wondering just how much Rebecca was willing to tell him. It turns out, Rebecca was so emotionally spent from her time worrying over the Doctors, the answer was more than she would have thought.

"Then when my mom met ... my father, they went away for a bit. Some stuff happened, and my mom took me and ran back here to Gus. Gus taught me a lot about how to protect myself. And since my dad was gone, I had mainly my mom, but I could trust Gus too. Then earlier this year I ... really messed up. Like, big time messed up, and he told me straight to my face he couldn't trust me anymore. It's like, my mom and Gus are trying to baby me now. And I just ..."

Rebecca stopped talking, checking her watch and forcing a yawn.

"Man, it's really late. You don't mind if I crash here tonight, do you?" Rebecca asked, eager to change the subject.

"Go ahead," Theo said, watching as she stood up abruptly and practically ran to the bathroom. He started to clean up the papers and stack them on his desk. When he heard the bathroom door open after around seven minutes of tense silence, he made sure to keep his face hidden from her. He knew she had said too much, but this new information was kind of intriguing. He hadn't known she was Lebanese, and that was the first time she had even notioned having a father.

"You can sleep on the bed if you want," Theo said. Rebecca didn't try to argue. All of the talking made her strangely quiet and made him feel cut off, in a very bad way.

After he heard her rustling cease, he turned and glanced at her, finally. Rebecca's entire body was buried under his covers, her eyes pressed shut. Her face was twisted, as if struggling to hide a strong emotion. He wondered if she had silently cried in his bathroom. Theo wondered if silently crying was a skill she had accumulated over the years.

He knew that if he tried to comfort her in any way she would wave it off, but he had to say something. Theo walked to the door and held it for a few seconds, his other hand lazily and almost hesitantly reaching towards the light switch.

Theo opened his mouth to say something, but he heard Rebecca's already sleep-riddled voice reach his ears, and he screwed his mouth shut.

"I'm not going to mess up again, I promise," Rebecca said. Theo wasn't sure if she was talking to him or if she had already started to dream, but he frowned slightly anyway. "I won't mess up again. I won't."

"I know," Theo responded to her quiet mutterings. He flicked off the light and shut the door. And he meant it, too. Rebecca Virk was extremely capable of what she was trying to accomplish, and that both worried and excited him at the same time.

He crept down the stairs, grabbed his coat from the closet, opened his front door, and slipped out into the night. He walked right by his truck, knowing the noise would alert a barely conscious Rebecca, and he didn't need her following him.

After all he learned about Rebecca, and all he learned about how she was able to figure out the Dread Doctor's motives made him quicken his stride. It was time to go pay his old friends a visit.

* * *

 **Way to ruin the moment, Theo. Anyway, Merry Christmas if you celebrate, if you don't, Happy Holidays!**

 **julieakaweirdo - It is kind of funny! Rebecca is frazzled a lot when it comes to that boy, lemma tell you ;)**

 **WishUponADragon - Yes! Theocca lives! Our freaking tapioca ship is adorable and sluethy. Hopefully you're content with theit amount of sleuthness in this one as well! Oh, cinnamon rolls everywhere.**

 **Guest - omg hello! Your english is really good! Don't bother apologizing for it! Your review was so sweet I think I got a cavity omg. I'm fangirling over this review, I swear. Thanks so much! And I'm glad you like this small, still unnamed town, lol. You're a doll. I totally agree with your analogies! I think that describes Theo and Rebecca pretty well. They fight, but they're drawn together. Kamilla does remind me of Malia a bit, maybe a bit more flighty, though. I didn't even realize when I made her omg, but yeah. Gus and Derek, yeah I see it. (I miss Derek, man :'( ) Becks' mom is pretty Badass, I'm glad you think she's like Melissa and the Sheriff because they're amazing! I love Ren too omg! I love writing him because he's really funny and I'm glad you like him. Rebecca is definitely a fighter in high heels! I love Scott and Lydia too, and I'm just glad you like her as well! A banshee is a good guess, but unfortunately Rebecca isn't a banshee!**

 **Now as for that gym scene, I will definitely try and put something like that in! It might not be right away, but maybe in a few chapters or so, since I've got what's coming next planned out already. The Dread Doctor's freak me out too! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to leave such a nice review! I hope this update will help! :) :)**


	11. Walk of Shame

The familiar smell of rot and rusting metal didn't really bother Theo, even when it got overpowering when he finally caught sight of them: The Dread Doctors.

Theo confidently walked into their makeshift workshop, but kept his distance. The sound of drilling and muffled screaming made him frown, but not flinch. The three Doctors were aware of his presence, but only one of them turned. Its mask faltered and regrouped as it always did. Theo felt no fear as its hollow glass eyes peered into his soul.

"You know something, don't you?" Theo demanded, his voice loud enough to be heard over the sound of their working. They were hovering over a table with a young girl strewn across it. Theo recognized her when another Doctor turned to look at him, and he got a glimpse of her sweat stained face. Stacey McLennon.

"If you don't, that's bad news for you, because she's learning more every day," Theo taunted, trying to stir a response out of his soulless colleagues. "Rebecca Virk is a massive adversary whether you admit it or not."

"An inconvenience," the Doctor with the spectacle contraption over its one eye uttered. It's voice was mutated by radio static and sounded like it came from everywhere around them and nowhere simultaneously. Just the sound of it normally sent people running, but Theo just became more vexed at their words.

"You think she's inconvenient? So you do know something I don't!" Theo accused. The two Doctors watched his miniature temper tantrum cooly while the other kept on drilling something into Stacey. "Don't you dare try and keep me in the dark again. You wouldn't tell me what the Otsuka's were, and now look where it's gotten you! I even helped Rebecca myself get the files and figure out your pattern. Tell me what she is."

The way the Doctors let the room sink into an uncomfortable pause that lasted quite a few moments made Theo take in a deep breath. He needed to get a hold of himself before they became hostile.

"Is she human? Am I just imagining things?" Theo asked, his voice considerably lighter.

"Unknown Positive," the Dread Doctor who was drilling said. It never looked away from the McLennon girl, even when she let out yet another piercing scream as sparks flew from her body. Her back arched, but the Doctor with the spectacle simply readjusted a filthy looking rag back over her face, and her movements stilled almost instantly.

"So you don't know what she is either," Theo stated, his mood dipping dangerously. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and looked at a large container filled with a frothing greenish liquid. It was massive, and the bubbles churning within it popped and reformed rather grotesquely. When he brought his gaze back to the Doctors, they weren't looking at him anymore. "So how are we going to figure out what she is? I'm able to take her down if I need to get information, but she is strong, and it'd help to at least have a clue."

"Stay away from the Unknown Positive," the first Doctor warned. It glitched and suddenly was a few paces away from the table, and closer to him. Theo took a fearful step backwards. "We shall proceed until Condition Not Terminal."

"What are you going to do, then?" Theo inquired. Suddenly, an idea formed. "Oh, I get it. You're just going to get her out of the way, then it'll be easier to get your not terminal thing. Okay."

The Doctor simply turned its back and returned working on Stacey, inserting injections of strange liquid into her limp body. Theo looked away, crossing his arms.

"When are you going to stop doing this?" Theo had to ask, as the Doctors turned the drill back on.

"Until Condition Not Terminal," one of them responded without missing a beat. Theo nodded sardonically, murmuring curses under his breath that the Doctors chose to ignore.

"Just stay away from the ones I told you about; Gus, Kamilla, and Ren. Believe it or not I have plans for them," Theo said, raising his voice to make sure he had the last word. He watched them poke and prod Stacey, and remembered Rebecca's insistency and how she was determined to save her. How she was probably fast asleep on his bed ... the moonlight through his window probably illuminating her tan skin ...

Theo was snapped out of his reverie when the Doctor with the spectacle turned suddenly, speaking directly to him.

"Do not touch Unknown Positive," it said. Theo swallowed, wondering if they had somehow known that he was thinking about Rebecca. It continued: "The newest specimen will test the Unknown Positive."

Theo glanced at Stacey. Is that why they were taking extra precaution to create the McLennon girl? Because they were hardwiring her to destroy Rebecca Virk?

Theo simply turned and started his ascent up a set of disgusting stairs covered in polluted water and sprinkled with piles of ... something that gave off an awful scent. The Doctors turned around, smothering Stacey when she tried to wake, and continued their experiment.

* * *

Rebecca woke up with a jolt, her head snapping up painfully. Her heart was thumping rapidly. She groaned, disoriented. She laid back down on the pillow, placing her hand in front of her face, and digging her fingernails slightly into the fabric. Her eyes remained open, however.

Her index finger rubbed the fabric of the pillow as she realized where she was. Theo's house. She fell asleep. What time was it?

Rebecca hefted herself up blearily, sighing and scanning the still dark room for some sort of clock. The red numbers that she found on Theo's alarm read "5:16".

Rebecca didn't bother laying back down, instead she sat up. She felt her heart just beginning to slow down. She used her fingertips to try and clear her eyes of any remaining sleep. She knew she wouldn't be able to descend into unconsciousness even if she tried, because people who she would rather not see would be waiting for her there.

That nightmare, however, consisted of Connor's harsh words echoing around her skull:

 _"You used me. You knew I had feelings for you and you manipulated me into being clueless about what you were doing."_

In her dream she was back beside the fast flowing river. She could feel the thrum and rush of it beneath her shoes as she stood at the edge, ready to take a step. When she finally gave into the pull of death and guilt, the water spun closer and closer. She could almost smell the dirt and wet rocks ready to catch her ...

Rebecca's breath caught in her throat, and she let out a strangled gasp. She allowed herself a shaky moment to catch her breath before yanking off the covers and landing on Theo's floor with a slightly muted _whump_. She froze when she heard a smothered grunt from a few feet in front of her.

Squinting, Rebecca caught the movement of Theo removing his face from where it was buried in his arms. He looked up at her blearily, rubbing his obviously aching muscles from sleeping on his chair instead of a proper bed. Guilt washed through Rebecca as her fingers curled together, forming loose fists in embarrassment.

"Oh my god, did you sleep there?" Rebecca asked, swallowing hard as her dry tongue made her words come out choppily. Theo rose to his feet as Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand in horror. Her words were now even harder to hear. "You could have kicked me out if you wanted! I can't believe I stayed the entire night, oh my goodness..."

"It's alright," Theo assured. His voice was husky and deeper than normal, and Rebecca was so startled by the sound of it she shuffled backwards a bit. He sounded as if he was going to change into a werewolf any second, but in reality, he was just still tired. "At least you didn't snore."

Rebecca tried to laugh, but it came out week and halfhearted. She looked at the clock again. Five minutes had went by. Why did she have this tingling feeling at the back of her mind ...

Rebecca suddenly gasped audibly, and Theo flinched, his morning reflexes slower than usual. Still, he managed to outstretch a hand to make sure Rebecca wasn't in any harm. His fingers encircled themselves around her bare forearm as he managed to sputter; "W-What's wrong?"

"We have school today! Oh my god, my mom is going to kill me!" Rebecca exclaimed, making Theo sigh and remove his hand. He was tempted to laugh at her fear and dismay, but decided against it.

"Yeah, I know we do. It's alright, we have plenty of time to get ready," Theo said calmly. Too calmly. Rebecca felt blush rise to her cheeks when she realized that Theo must have been in this sort of situation before ... probably with less clothes involved ...

"Is something wrong?" Theo asked. Goddamnit, he heard her heart speed up suddenly as she imagined him waking up the morning after with some other girl.

"I've just ... never been in this sort of situation before," Rebecca muttered. Theo nodded in the near darkness, suddenly realizing what she was insinuating. He had to admit, their interaction was awkward enough for an onlooker to assume that last night they had had sex.

"Right. You're mom's a cop," Theo tried to justify. He forced himself from any thought pertaining to sex ... and more importantly, any images of Rebecca that such thoughts would conjure. "Well, if you want, you can have a shower or something and I'll make breakfast."

Oh my god, did he think that was helping? Rebecca thought, hoping he couldn't see her eyes widen. She needed to get her head out of the gutter - and fast. "Okay. I'll ... see you in a bit."

Rebecca hurried over to the washroom and practically dove inside. After she closed the door, Theo smiled freely, shaking his head while making his way to the door. Rebecca, however, had a permanent expression of terror plastered on her face.

Getting into the shower was great - the hot water tried to lull her back to sleep, but she resisted the urge to press her face against the tiled wall and collect some well earned rest. She stepped out, and managed to find a clean towel in the cupboard she noticed when she first went into the washroom last night.

After she dried herself well enough, she looked down at her pile of dirty clothes, horrified.

She didn't have anything to change into.

Rebecca picked up her outfit sadly, knowing that there was no way anyone could force her back into that small little dress. Yesterday she had been prepared - and dry. Not to mention she had the initiative to put effort into her appearance, but right then she just wanted to make an appearance.

There was also no way in hell, heaven, or anything in between Rebecca would go down and greet Theo in nothing but a towel.

Rebecca smacked her forehead with her hand, trying to propel images from entering her mind. Theo in a towel ...

Fortunately it was promptly replaced by the stern look of her mother in Rebecca's mind's eye. Myriam was joined by Ren, and they silently judged her. The mental image made her take a deep breath in, then out.

 _Rebecca, get a hold of yourself, damnit,_ Ren and her mom seemed to say. _Theo is a shady character. You haven't even met his parents yet!_

Rebecca physically nodded to herself, catching the eye of her reflection. She leaned in, staring at the image of herself in the mirror defiantly. She touched the mirror, making a small fingerprint shape on the clouded glass.

"You're not ten years old anymore," Rebecca stated firmly to herself. "He's shady. Theo Raeken is shady. You will not think about him like that ... and you will find yourself something to wear!

Rebecca hesitantly opened the bathroom door, peering out, and sighing in relief upon seeing no one. Theo must have still been downstairs.

Rebecca clung to the wood of the door with one hand, her head craning to see if she could find anything to slip into. Her eyes settled on a possible shirt left at the bottom of the bed. It was the one he was wearing the day before.

Rebecca looked back forlornly at her clothes. There was always another option ...

Enough, Rebecca demanded, stepping into the room. It wasn't because she liked the thought of wearing Theo's clothes, it was because she was being practical - his clothes would fit her comfortably. That was it ... right?

While clinging the towel closer to her shivering body, she snatched the shirt off the bed, inspecting it carefully. After a quick once over, Rebecca shrugged then dropped the towel, throwing the shirt over her head quickly; it would have to do.

If Theo didn't approve, then he would just have to suck it, Rebecca decided as she gathered up her hair and spun it around in the towel. She wrapped the cloth around her head until she had a nice towel crown, as she always called them.

She was about to head for the door, but paused. Maybe she should put on some underwear ... just in case.

Rebecca stepped into Theo's kitchen, blinking as she watched Theo place some freshly made french toast on the table. Good God, this boy went all or nothing. Though Rebecca had to admit, it smelt - and looked - delicious.

She dared to take another step, knowing that with Theo's superior hearing, he had known she was behind him. He turned around, ready to say something, but the words came to an abrupt halt in his throat.

His mouth was slightly ajar while his eyes roamed her scarcely dressed figure quickly before snapping back to her face. Rebecca felt the blush entering her cheeks as she tried to decipher whether his reaction was good or bad.

"Sorry, all my clothes were dirty," Rebecca shrugged, looking down at herself shamefully. He shook his head, secretly extremely pleased.

"No it's all good. But if I had known you needed a shirt, I would have given you a clean one," Theo reassured as Rebecca played with the hem of the shirt.

"Ah, I don't mind," Rebecca waved her hand, trying to hard be nonchalant. "People say blue is a good colour on me anyways."

Theo smirked, cocking his head to the side slightly, but he turned away from her to hide the expression. He grabbed some syrup and placed it on the table.

"I hope you don't mind french toast," Theo said, breaking the moment of silence as he sat down across from Rebecca.

"No, I love it, actually. I just can't believe you made all this." Rebecca gestured to the small stack on a separate plate than the one in front of her.

"Ah, I do it all the time," Theo shrugged. Rebecca couldn't tell if he was lying or not ... there were so many weird things about him. She wouldn't be surprised if he had a pet crocodile or something in his basement.

She served herself a slice of french toast, but she ate it halfheartedly. It had been years since her mom had had any time to make her breakfast. Rebecca felt a stab of guilt just thinking about her mom.

Yet it wasn't just that ... it was the fact that Theo let the room fill with silence. Why? Were his parents sleeping? Why hadn't he offered an explanation about their absence?

"Can I ask you something?" Rebecca broke the silence, her voice loud in the quiet house. Theo had a forkful of toast in his mouth, so he just nodded. He had been waiting for her to speak - to say something. "Where are your parents?"

"They're asleep," Theo answered simply. Rebecca nodded, at least ten sarcastic quips racing around her mind before she decided to stay civil.

"Are they pretty relaxed about you having girls randomly sleep over?"

"Yeah, they don't care. They just don't want me to burn the house down or something," Theo replied. "I mean, I didn't tell them you were sleeping over because I didn't know, but whatever happens, happens, I guess."

Rebecca twirled her fork in her hand before stabbing a piece of french toast. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay, really," Theo laughed. Rebecca didn't know if the silence was awkward or if her skin was prickling because she was cold, but either way Rebecca took an unnecessarily big bite of toast.

Theo seemed so relaxed it made Rebecca's shoulders tense. One thing she for certain knew about Theo Raeken was that he wasn't stupid. How could he just unwind with her so casually after all that had happened? After all of the shady stuff he had done? After he had slipped into everyone's inner circle so quickly? It was too early in the morning for Rebecca to compose herself properly.

After she swallowed, she dropped her fork beside her plate, all of her self control gone. Theo blinked and looked at her face that was etched with a mixture between anger and confusion.

"Why do you like my friends so much?" Rebecca demanded. Her voice cut through any veil of friendliness she had tried to place around them. Maybe she was making a mistake and erasing any of the trust Theo had placed in her, but maybe she was calling him out, and Ren was right all along.

Theo's head shook slightly, rattled by her tone and scathing words. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you beeline to Kamilla? Why are you trying to butter up Ren? Why are you getting so close to Gus? Why them?" Rebecca explained. She couldn't help the ferocity from showing in her gaze, as she got carried away by it all.

"You mean why am I trying to get close with some of the most powerful supernatural beings in this town?" Theo corrected. He sounded disbelieving, as if Rebecca's emotions were incredulous.

"Yeah," Rebecca said, her attention never deviating from Theo for even a millisecond. If he seemed nervous in the slightest, she wanted to know. Yet by the way he released a breath of air and pushed his plate forward, he displayed nothing but fatigue.

"Well, it's good to know you still don't trust me," Theo stated, bitterness in his voice. Rebecca clenched her jaw slightly, refusing to be swayed. "You really want to know? Fine. It's because they're supernatural. I'm supernatural. This is how it's supposed to be - people like me and them are supposed to stick together."

"Why?" Rebecca urged, feeling as if she was interrogating a criminal. "You can look after yourself just fine."

Theo's eyes squinted ever so slightly at her assumptions. "It's not because I want to protect myself, Rebecca. It's because I've ... I've never really been around so many people like me before."

Rebecca stayed quiet, watching his every small movement, waiting for him to slip up, but there was nothing so far. She chewed the inside of her lip and let him continue.

"Before I was, you know, bitten, I was normal. I was good at school, had a lot of friends, and I loved skateboarding. I was completely average," Theo stressed. There was a glint of pain in his eyes that Rebecca couldn't ignore no matter how hard she tried.

"And then one night I was practicing some tricks with my new skateboard in a neighbour's empty pool, and I fell down - hard. I didn't even notice the board hadn't come back down until I saw this massive figure looking down at me," Theo explained. Rebecca could hardly see Theo being scared of anything, but at the quavering in his voice, it was obvious he had been terrified that night. "It was so fast I didn't have time to react. It bit me."

Theo paused, and Rebecca found herself focusing on his hand that was draped over the edge of the table. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"Then what?" Rebecca asked blandly.

"Then I freaked out for a few days before I overheard something about any type of werewolves. Except the only thing I discovered was that the alpha that bit me was killed by two of its betas - they were twins," Theo retold. "This all happened before my first full moon. I've been an omega ever since."

Rebecca stared at the table as Theo retracted his hand. The pause wasn't welcoming, and Rebecca felt too ashamed to offer any words of condolence.

"Honestly the only reason my parents decided to move here is because they want what's best for me," Theo said. His voice was soft, as if he was asking her to meet his gaze, but she couldn't. Rebecca felt a hollow feeling overcoming her. "A while ago we caught wind of some supernatural stuff happening and we wanted to check it out. And I don't know if you want to hear this, but I'm glad I did."

Rebecca pursed her mouth together as a response. She shifted her weight from one side of the chair to the other. Everything in her mind was screaming at her to look up, but she couldn't. Her eyes were beginning to burn with the effort to seem neutral.

"Rebecca, all I want is a pack that I can belong in," Theo confessed. "I don't want to be an omega anymore. Omegas don't survive long on their own."

"I know what you mean," Rebecca said suddenly, and the entire room seemed to hold its breath. She looked up at his eyes, and she saw clearly that he was was startled to find such empathy. "To be alone. I know what it's like."

Theo nodded, looking away from her intense eyes for only a second before meeting them again. "Your dad?"

Her mouth twitched for a second, as if she was compressing screams of horror and anguish. She relaxed her shoulders, but her voice was curt: "Yeah. Sort of."

Theo didn't know whether to linger in the moment or not, so Rebecca decided to just move on with or without him.

"Okay, well, it was nice of you to make me breakfast," Rebecca thanked Theo, who nodded in reply. "But we got to get to school and I can't wear this, so ..."

Rebecca tugged at the collar of Theo's shirt, and he chewed his lip while bobbing his head in agreement. "Yeah, I agree. Though I could lend you some clean stuff if you needed it?"

"Nah, I'm going to call Kamilla. Then I can take a detour at her house on my way to school," Rebecca said, standing up and taking her and Theo's plate over to the kitchen sink. He watched her go, trying to distract himself with anything but the view she was showing. "We're practically the same size clothes-wise."

"Is she gonna get here in time?" Theo asked, tidying up as well while glancing at the clock on the stove.

"Yeah, she's always up really early in the mornings," Rebecca explained. Theo hesitated before glancing over at her.

"You know a lot about her," Theo said casually, but there was an underlying question in his voice.

"Kamilla's one of my oldest friends," Rebecca responded, her tone sharp, as if to cut through any suspicion of her devotion to the blond werewolf. "Me and her were together before Ren's family moved here." Rebecca paused, then turned to Theo to add emphasis to her words: "And yeah, we were friends before she was a werewolf."

Theo sighed, changing tactics to avoid another argument. "I know, she told me."

Rebecca could tell Theo was still curious, but she was glad he learned when to not cross the line. Talking about Kamilla's past? A huge no-no. If Kamilla didn't tell him, she sure as hell wasn't opening her mouth.

"I'll go call her," Rebecca said, leaving the room. She didn't even realize it, but she was slipping up more and more around Theo. If she hadn't known about the supernatural, how could she have known when Kamilla had turned into a werewolf?

Even though Rebecca didn't notice, Theo sure did.

* * *

"You sure you and Theo didn't get down and dirty while you slept over at his house?" Kamilla asked again, sounding unconvinced. She was leaning up against the tiled wall of the girls bathroom, ten minutes before classes started for the day.

"I'm absolutely sure," Rebecca replied, exasperated at her friend's persistence. "We just talked over a bunch of stuff."

"And when are you going to spill the beans about all of this wondrous ' _stuff_ ' you talked about?" Kamilla pressed, checking her phone as Rebecca emerged from a stall and moved to the sink.

"During lunch," Rebecca decided, washing her hands. Kamilla kicked off the wall to grab Theo's clothes Rebecca had worn to pick her up and drive them to school. Rebecca sported currently Kamilla's old skinny jeans, and an ACDC t-shirt. "I'll tell Ren to meet us in the library, then me and Theo will tell you guys everything, I promise."

"Okay, but I gotta ask," Kamilla inquired, watching Rebecca dry her hands on the paper towels. "How did the breaking and entering go? Was your mom mad?"

Rebecca paused, keeping her back to Kamilla. The werewolf's large curls bounced as she tilted her head in concern.

"Rebecca! Oh no, you didn't tell you mom?" Rebecca turned to face her friend sheepishly. "Dude, she is going to skin you alive! Where are the files?"

"Yeah, I know," Rebecca sighed. "But I couldn't face her. The files are in my locker, I made sure to grab them before I left. I'll go home and try not to die after school."

"My prayers are with you, my friend," Kamilla scoffed, shaking her head while flinging her arm around Rebecca's shoulder.

Rebecca smiled slightly at her friend's awed and impressed expression. Then she elbowed her in the chest and rolled her eyes.

* * *

To say Myriam was angry was an understatement.

Rebecca walked into her house and took two steps before noticing her mom sitting on the couch, her hands folded together on her lap. Mrs Virk had been waiting for her daughter to come home.

Rebecca uneasily stood, waiting for her mom to direct her what to do. Her eyes flit nervously to the gun on the end table, right next to her mom. Normally Rebecca would know that Myriam would never threaten her daughter with a gun, but the fury in her mom's eyes made Rebecca second guess everything.

"Sit down," Myriam demanded, gesturing to an armchair across from her. Rebecca lowered her chin, making sure to keep her movements minimal as she did the walk of shame to the chair. Mrs Virk's eyes were filled with such fury, Rebecca thought her mom's hair might erupt into flames any second.

"Where did you sleep last night?" Myriam asked, keeping her voice calm. "Because it sure as hell wasn't in this house."

Rebecca took a deep breath before replying, making sure her tone was quiet and respectful. "At Theo's house."

"Theo _Raeken's_ house?" Myriam's voice was suddenly extremely loud, and Rebecca flinched. "The boy who I specifically told you to stay away from?"

Rebecca nodded, her eyes on the ground. Mrs Virk was sitting up straight now, leaning forward, her eyes wide so her daughter couldn't miss the disappointment in them.

"So last night, you stole my extra keys, ran to my office, stole my police files, and gave them to _Theo Raeken_?" Myriam said. "Well? Is that right?"

"Yes," Rebecca admitted, sounding two feet tall.

Myriam paused for a second, before continuing her interrogation. "Where are the files, Rebecca?"

"In my car," Rebecca answered. She knew lying was the stupidest thing she could do at that moment.

"You do know that what you've done can earn you about two years in prison?" Myriam asked. Of course Rebecca knew, that's why she licked her lips and blinked back the fear that made her want to fidget. "Huh, Rebecca? You do know that you can have a permanent record for this? That you won't graduate high school with your friends because you decided to break the law?"

"Yes," Rebecca said, her voice cracking. She was terrified. Was her mom going to arrest her for this? After what she's done, there was no argument against her not deserving such a punishment.

"Then why did you do it?" Myriam grilled her daughter, her voice harsh. She wasn't taking the situation lightly, and they both knew that neither was Rebecca.

Rebecca swallowed, the words she was about to say sounding immature. Why didn't she notice that the idea was this stupid when she first thought about it? "I can't just stand by and let another person get murdered."

"Oh, and you think I do?" Myriam accused, disbelief in her voice. "You think I don't hate that there's another innocent girl probably being tortured? Do you think I don't want to find these sick Dread Doctors that are murdering kids?"

Rebecca shook her head and swallowed.

"Then why did you take it upon yourself to try and figure it out?" Myriam demanded.

Rebecca's eyelashes fluttered as she swallowed her emotions. The tears she cried over Travis and Omar and Connor and Stacey were threatening to resurface.

"Answer me, Rebecca!" Myriam yelled. Her voice wobbled. She was too emotional to sound furious anymore. "Tell me, because you're going to get hurt - hell, you already have."

Rebecca sighed, but stayed silent. Myriam ran a hand over her face before spewing her emotions out through biting words she didn't mean one hundred percent. "Rebecca, this is serious! Tell me why you have to go and get yourself hurt like this! You can't just do that to yourself. You're not being brave - you're being selfish."

"It's all my fault," Rebecca whispered, dropping her chin to her neck. Myriam's rant was cut short, as she watched her daughter's shoulders tense. "It's all my fault they're dying."

Myriam stayed still for only a second. When she saw the first tear roll down Rebecca's face, she launched herself from the couch she sat upon and was kneeling before her daughter in a heartbeat.

Myriam held her daughter's face in her hand. She watched her daughter cry, absolutely horrified.

"How could you ever say that?" Myriam asked, her voice showing just how absurd that statement was.

Rebecca hiccuped as her face twisted in misery. "He said that I was like a flare. That I would bring all kinds of creatures running. He said that I was attracting them like m-moths to flame..."

Myriam's eyes widened. She knew who her daughter was talking about instantly. Her mind was brought back to that day, just a few months ago. Her own fear reflected in Rebecca's eyes.

Myriam moved so she could sit on the arm of the chair. She wrapped both of her arms around her daughter, holding Rebecca as the girl cried openly. Myriam stared at the floor, flinching as she remembered the details of that day.

"It's not your fault, Rebecca," Myriam assured her daughter, kissing the top of her head lightly. Miss Virk held Rebecca tightly, as if she were the only thing that was worth holding onto in a world that could destroy a fifteen year old girl so brutally.

A single tear leaked out of Myriam's eye, but she forced herself to swallow the sobs that rose in her throat. After all, although that day had given Myriam the fright of her life, it had done far worse to Rebecca.

"It was never, ever your fault."

* * *

 **Hey has anyone seen the last episode of Teen Wolf/ seen anything from 5b? Erg, Theo, man. If you would like, tell me what you thought of it.**

 **Wow, it's been a while. My apologies for that, Writers Block + Sickness = Not much writing getting done.**

 **Guest - You made an epic sequel to your huge review! You're not a freak! You're really kind. And as for the replying to reviews, it is the least thing I can do for all you wonderful readers! I appreciate the love and send it back twofold! Sadly, Theo is the same Theo. :/ Some more Freak Doctors this chapter, unfortunately/fortunately. I ship Stydia too! I've heard some good things about what's going to happen to them and I'm excited! Yeah, drawn out is the way to go for Theo and Becks, sadly. There's a bit of gooey stuff in this chapter, I hope you don't mind! Actually I'm not Lebanese. A friend of mine is and she told me how she hardly hears about Lebanese protagonists so I made Rebecca Lebanese for her! Ren isn't gay, but he is asexual. Don't worry about not reviewing! I'll be happy if you just read any chapters at all! Lol, a Pokémon is a really good guess! :) xoxo to you as well!**

 **julieakaweirdo - Indeed she is! Though the more open she gets, the more sad she is as well. :(**

 **Guest - Sorry! I am so very sorry! Take this long chapter as recompense for my absence! 3**


	12. Believing In Your Promises

Myriam tried to make eye contact with the officer whom she handed the last clipboard to. "Does anyone have any questions?"

The officer shook his head before taking a step back to rejoin the crowd of constables that filled the police station. There was only a bit of breathing room, but still the throng of constables stayed a few respectful paces away from the chief policeman and Deputy Virk.

"If you look at the list on the second page," the chief said, raising his hands and pointing at Myriam's clipboard. "Yes, if you could all flip over to it, that would be great. Okay, so on it, it has every single adolescent that has had a skin graft sometime in their life. On page three we have the adults."

The officers in the room muttered to one another quietly while the noise of flipping papers threatened to drown out the chiefs next words.

"Beside their names, is their parental guardians or next of kin. Then their address, phone number, etcetera. Now, ladies and gentlemen, each of you should see your name beside one or two people on the list. They are now your responsibility." The chiefs voice was starting to dwindle, but with Deputy Myriam's extra nods from time to time, the officers gave him a bit more of their attention.

"Make sure that the people you have been assigned to are safe, ladies and gents," Myriam ordered. "What we have is a type of serial killer this small town hasn't seen in a long time. I expect you to be on high alert if you see anything out of the ordinary."

With that, the station began to empty, a few bodies waiting for the steady stream of exiting people to slow. The chief whispered a few words to Myriam before ambling out of the room, most likely heading towards his office.

Gus, who had lingered near the door, exchanged a long glance with Myriam before taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee.

"Kids, you can come out now," Myriam hollered at the door of her office. She tapped on the glass, and watched as her daughter peaked out from behind the desk. Kamilla stretched her legs after jumping out from the same hiding place. Theo, who was pressed against the door, opened it sheepishly. And Ren? Of course he was huddled in the corner behind a cabinet.

"That's it, everybody out," Myriam held the door open and glared at every one of them as they scurried out of hiding. "You know, kids your age should be doing fun stuff on a Saturday."

"How long did you know we were in there?" Kamilla asked, cowed at the sight of Myriam with her hands on her hips.

"Since I started the meeting," Mrs. Virk responded, giving the werewolf a pointed look. Gus wandered over to where they were standing, and offered Theo a wink when he caught his eye.

"But me and Myriam decided that you kids should know what we're doing so you can stay out of it," Gus explained, patting Mrs. Virk on the shoulder. She decided to let it slide, and nod along with his words instead.

"Then why did you put yourself in charge of four people on the list?" Rebecca piped up, looking directly at Gus. "You can't possibly do that by yourself. Everyone else got one or two."

"Look at this, a little Miss Detective," Gus exclaimed. Rebecca smiled, appreciating the praise. "She managed to sneak a list for herself, then. Look at this lot, eh, Myriam? They're like a tween pop band, all eager to help."

"Too eager," Myriam agreed, giving the four of them a sweeping glance. She didn't seem as pleased with their keenness, and it showed in her tone.

"But she is right, I can't do it by myself," Gus admitted. Myriam did not light up as he said this, contrasting with the suddenly thrilled teenagers in the room. She displayed only an alarmed expression, her gaze demanding to be met. Gus shrugged, and Kamilla gave Theo an excited elbow to the gut. Rebecca and Ren stirred, excitement bubbling.

"You can do it by yourself; you're an old man with nothing better to do, remember?" Myriam recalled, tilting her head to the side in warning.

"Oh, Myriam," Gus huffed, exasperated, as if she was his mother, prohibiting him from going outside to play. "We're going to go visit some folks around town for the day. Then we'll show them how _boring_ real work is."

"This isn't a field trip, Gus." Myriam sounded irritated, and Rebeca desperately tried to hide her nervousness. She looked at Ren, who scrunched his mouth together as a response.

"Well, these kids are going to get into worse trouble if we don't at least let them help a little," Gus pointed out. Myriam blew air from her nose, prepared to explode. He quickly waved his arms to try and take back his words. "Okay, you know what? I'll have them all ask their parents if they can go before we do anything. Sound fair?"

"What part of _this isn't a damn play day_ did you not understand?" Myriam demanded. There was a pause, in which the Deputy challenged anyone to question her authority. Gus hesitated, throwing out his cup of coffee before boldly continuing.

"Myriam, you've been exposed to all of this for a long time." Gus eased into the topic, but Myriam's tenacious glare made the task that much more problematic. "But I've been at it for even longer."

"So now this is about experience?" Myriam asked, astonished at his words. Rebecca swallowed, cringing at her mother's retaliation. "I don't think it should matter how long I've known about what's really going on in this town. I think it should matter that I know, _period._ And I also think it should matter that I'm not stupid enough to send kids into battle, for God's sake."

"It's not a battle, Myriam," Gus exclaimed, putting his hands up in surrender. "It's going around and making sure people are safe. Stop making it into something it's not!"

"You know that it's not going to stop there," said Myriam, her voice low. Ren leaned forward, entranced as if watching drama unfold in a reality T.V. show. "You know that they're going to keep pushing until someone breaks."

"Is that a bad thing?" Gus inquired, the new tactic making the Deputy draw back slightly. "And I know you're answer's gonna' be yes, but is that the right thing to do? These kids are growing up, Myriam, and quickly. They need to know what to do if we're not here for them."

Myriam listened quietly, but the way her face twitched in agitation wasn't comforting. The tension in the room was palpable as everyone held their breath, waiting for a response.

"They shouldn't have to," Myriam insisted, shaking her head. The way she sent a not so subtle glance in her daughters direction made Rebecca's stomach jolt slightly. She knew what her mom was thinking.

"But it's just unrealistic to think that." Gus knew he had won the argument at the way Myriam pinched the bridge of her nose. He could smell her mix of chemosignals that reeked of stress and defeat.

"Call your parents," Myriam ordered the kids. The four of them exchanged uneasy glances, but didn't waste time. Three of them ducked into a hallway, leaving Rebecca alone with Myriam and Gus.

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something, but Myriam lifted her head and leaned into Gus. She looked terrifying - and furious. The older werewolf looked down at her, surprised.

"If you ever try and pull that shit with me in front of the kids again, I'll shoot you," Myriam promised. Her voice was a crude hiss, and laced with venom. "This isn't a game. If you don't stop treating it like one, I'll make sure you do not pass Go."

Myriam turned to her daughter, trying to calm herself down and get rid of the red around her vision. Gus was frozen in shock, but tried to shake it off as best as he could. There was no doubt the Deputy was a scary woman. Rebecca's eyes were wide with fear, and her nerves were buzzing and on edge. Did her mom and Gus fight about this a lot?

"Now, as for you," Myriam said, her voice cracking with the effort to keep it level. "Sorry, Rebecca, but you're not going."

Rebecca broke out of her trance, a crestfallen expression twisting her face and making her shoulders slump. "Mom-"

"I am not in the mood, Rebecca." Myriam briskly silenced her daughter's onslaught of pleading before it started. Gus watched the scene quietly, and when Rebecca caught his eye, he shrugged. Rebecca noisily exhaled and earned herself another piercing glare.

"But I do have another job for you."

Rebecca's interest was piqued, and she stood up a little straighter. Myriam chuckled, but it was lacking any mirth.

"Relax, it's not anything exciting," Myriam assured. Her daughter sat back on her heels, disappointed once more. "But it is important. I need you to get the book, the Dread Doctors, off of the bookshelf at home and try to find out anything you can about it."

"What do you mean?" Rebecca quizzed. It took all of her willpower not to groan. She was going to be stuck with paperwork? Her mom was right - she should be doing more fun things.

"I _mean,"_ Myriam mimicked Rebecca's negative tone before crossing her arms and continuing. "Find out who the author is, how it made us remember the Doctors, and stuff like that."

Rebecca cast her gaze to the ground, just as Kamilla reentered. She was waving her phone in one hand while the other was splayed outwards in annoyance.

"My parents aren't answering the phone ..." Kamilla explained, her eyes drifting from Myriam to Gus. The Deputy crossed her arms and looked at the officer to see what he would do.

"That's alright," Gus started slowly, glancing at Myriam before continuing. "You'll be fine, they won't mind."

Kamilla's face split into a smile as Myriam shook her head and let out a disgusted snort. Gus turned to the Deputy, suddenly eager to bargain.

"C'mon Myriam, she's my beta," Gus pleaded. "She needs to get out and learn alongside me."

"Just remember that doesn't mean you can replace her parental guardians," Myriam stated. She looked Kamilla up and down, then turned back to Gus. "So if she gets hurt, it's on you."

Rebecca bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming in frustration. How come Gus offered his two cents when defending Kamilla but couldn't spare a single word for Rebecca? It was getting exhausting.

The strawberry blond girl was practically beside herself when Theo and Ren walked into the room, grinning. They could go, but she couldn't. In their delight, they didn't even notice how upset Rebecca was. Or they ignored it.

"Well, kiddos," Gus said, rubbing his hands together and stepping away from Myriam. "If you're able to go, come on. We've got a lot of places to hit before sundown and everyone else already has a head start."

Rebecca didn't move, but her arms fidgeted as she watched her friends start to leave. Ren took a few steps, then stopped, confused. He turned around and looked at Rebecca.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked. He looked at Myriam, who shook her head for her daughter. Ren glanced back at his best friend as she shrugged in defeat.

"Who's not coming?" Kamilla was already at the door, but upon seeing Rebecca standing still, she froze. "Rebecca?"

Rebecca squirmed as Theo's eyes latched onto her as well. Gus didn't even turn around. She felt she had to assure them somehow, because Rebecca didn't want to ruin their days as well.

"It's okay, guys. I'll catch up with you later." Rebecca waved her hand, shooing them away. She saw Theo and Kamilla exchange glances as Ren pursed his lips.

"We'll keep you updated," Theo called across the room, opening the door for Kamilla. Gus was probably already waiting for them in the car.

Kamilla nodded, then added: "Yeah. We'll call you if we find anything."

"I'm sure you will," Myriam said, jerking her head so the two of them could quicken their exit. She turned to Ren, repeating the movement.

"Nah, I'm good," Ren shrugged, shoving his hands into his worn out jeans.

"Go on, Ren. Mom's making me do some paperwork stuff," Rebecca explained, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's really boring, you'd hate it."

"That's okay," Ren replied. He took a few steps closer to the Virk family. "What kind of paperwork stuff? I'll help you."

Myriam raised her eyebrows and looked back at her daughter. Rebecca's eyes had lit up, silently begging for permission. Myriam threw her hands in the air before retreating into her office. Rebecca turned to Ren, smiling.

"Thanks, Ren," Rebecca said. Ren grinned as a response to her gratitude.

"Don't mention it," Ren laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder when she closed the distance between them. "I know how much of an ass Gus can be. I don't think I'm missing much."

"Watch your language!" Myriam hollered from inside her office. Rebecca snorted, as Ren sheepishly apologized. Maybe her day wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

"This is the worst goddamn day ever!" Rebecca cried out in frustration. She wanted to fling the book across the room, but was afraid she'd make a mark on Ren's bedroom wall. Not that Ren would care - he was too busy groaning and dozing off on his open laptop.

Rebecca smacked herself on the forehead with the book, its hard cover making her skin sting slightly, but she couldn't care less. Hours upon hours of research and what did they find? A few book reviews. This T.R. McCammon author-guy was practically nonexistent. He had no family, no other books, no indication of where he lived - nothing!

"You know, I wish there was a website somewhere that was a _Supernatural Phenomenon Explain-er_ ," Rebecca complained, pacing around the room. Her phone was dead after all the time she spent researching on it, and her patience was at the same level.

"There is," Ren muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "It's called _Mythbusters._ "

Rebecca hardly even thought twice before spinning around and smacking her friend on the leg with her fingertips. "You're not funny, Monkey Brain."

"Ow, watch it," Ren sputtered, sitting up and rubbing his now red face. There were lines on his cheek that mirrored the crevices between the keys on the keyboard. "There's no need to pop a vein."

"I'm about to shred this book!" Rebecca exclaimed, brandishing it in the air and shaking it in her grasp. "This stupid, stupid book ..."

"I hate books," Ren agreed, closing his laptop and glaring at the notebooks spilling out of his schoolbag. "Especially textbooks."

"Oh, boo hoo, your life is hard," Rebecca teased, sticking out her tongue while rubbing her eyes. Ren looked insulted, but she didn't care. "Though then again, Travis DeClair's life looked great..."

Ren cleared his throat loudly as he watched Rebecca start to drift off into her own thoughts.

"Travis DeClair, huh?" Ren exclaimed, loudly enough to jolt Rebecca into alertness. "The shmuck who was getting down with my sister."

"Yeah," Rebecca said. She tossed the book from hand to hand, occasionally fumbling. "The shmuck who drowned in books."

"You know, I almost forgot you broke into his house," Ren announced. He swung his legs over the bed and gave his friend a thoughtful look. He didn't sound suprised, nor condescending. "He was the one with the personal library, right?"

"Yep. There were books everywhere," Rebecca recalled, chuckling to herself before turning to Ren. She pointed at him using the novel in her hand. "You should have seen it. There was no room to walk anywhere. And they weren't comics; I swear I saw a few Charles Dickens' stuff."

"That's what I call dedication," Ren laughed. There wasn't anything really funny about it, but mirth seemed to be contagious. Rebecca grinned. "You ever wonder how he got all of them?"

Rebecca stopped short, frowning. She squinted at a wall, but as her gaze turned to Ren, her eyes became wide with shock. He uneasily watched her, waiting for her to speak. Rebecca's mouth dropped open and she omitted a small huff of disbelief. She bent her knees slightly too, and Ren became concerned.

"What?" he demanded.

"We never asked how he got the book!" Rebecca proclaimed. "Whoever gave it to him could have some answers! Who knows? Maybe they knew he was a target and they tried to warn him ..."

Rebecca was getting more excited every second that passed, and Ren had to stand up and wave his hand to regain her attention.

"Um, that's great, how do we find out who gave it to him?" Ren asked. When Rebecca didn't deflate, he continued: "You're not planning on barging in and asking his parents, are you? Because I'll tell you right now that you're an idiot."

"No, Monkey Brain!" Rebecca sighed, rolling her eyes. She never let the smile fade from her face. "Use that Satori mind of yours! You just said it; he was a shmuck for your sister."

Ren raised his eyebrows, snapping his fingers and pointing at Rebecca enthusiastically. His mouth was in the shape of an 'o' as Rebecca waved her arms and ushered him out of the room.

They crossed the hall in two seconds flat. Rebecca knocked on Mieko's door, resisting the urge to slam her palms against it. How did they not think of this earlier?

Mieko's startled face appeared a few moments later, but every second felt like an eternity. She wore a long turtleneck with sleeves that stretched far past her hands. She sized up her brother and Rebecca quickly.

"What?" Mieko asked, trying not to sound irritable. Rebecca's excitement faltered. The youngest Otsuka sounded as if she was being interrupted from something very important.

"Are you alright?" Rebecca instinctively asked. The bags under Mieko's eyes were a dark purple, signifying she wasn't sleeping well, if at all.

"I'm fine," Mieko replied too quickly, adjusting her sleeves subconsciously. She seemed to be making sure that her fingers were completely covered. Rebecca felt Ren stir uneasily, and Mieko's faux pleasant tone reinforced his concern. "What do you need?"

"Um, we just wanted to know if you recognized this book," Rebecca brandished The Dread Doctors, and she saw recognition flash across Mieko's face.

"Yeah, it was Travis'," Mieko stated. Rebecca blinked. The girl in front of her was so distracted, she didn't even bother to ask how they came around to getting it. "It even has the little stain on the cover. What about it?"

"Do you know how he got it?"

Mieko furrowed her brow, shifting her weight slightly. She hadn't even opened her door all the way, and didn't look as if she was about to let them enter, but Rebecca respected that.

"I think ... he got it from the library down near City Hall," Mieko said slowly. She squinted at something beyond Rebecca's head before regaining eye contact. "Yeah. The librarian was always really nice to him, that's why he kept on getting so many books."

Rebecca nodded, and offered a small smile. Mieko seemed a bit too calm reminiscing about her boyfriend that died not two weeks earlier.

Mieko took that as a goodbye, and promptly shut her door in their faces. Rebecca drew her head back, then look over at Ren.

"You saw what I did, right?" Rebecca whispered, trying to keep her voice down as she walked back to Ren's room. "She's hiding something."

"No shit, Sherlock," Ren spat. The two of them hovered in his doorway, a few inches apart so they could murmur their words and still be heard.

"Do you think she might be going through .. you know, her changes?" Rebecca inquired, ignoring Ren's tense tone. He was worried, and that was expected.

"She's not a Satori, so she can't," Ren shook his head. "She missed the window a long time ago. I mean, I was late when I first started to change, but if she was one of us we would know. Dad already told me there's no way."

"Then why would she act as if her skin was covered in something?" Rebecca pressed. "I remembered you wore turtlenecks for weeks until you told your dad that when you touched people you could read their minds. It's not like a girl getting her period - this isn't stuff you can learn about online."

Ren hesitated, knowing she did have a point. After all, when Satoris reach a certain physical peak in their life, it's uncomfortable. They gain their masterful ability to read minds a little too suddenly. It's like puberty, except worse, and you can't hug anyone for emotional support.

"I'll tell Dad, but I still don't think it's even possible." Ren shook his head. He then rolled his eyes to the sky. "Then again, I'm a supernatural monkey-like creature who can read minds."

Rebecca cocked her head, pouting her mouth in agreement. "Anything can happen."

"Anyway," Ren said, sweeping away the subject with a flick of his hand. "What are we going to do about this librarian stuff we found out?"

"Right," Rebecca nodded, focusing her mind on their original task. "Do you want to call someone, or something?"

"Sure, your mom?" Ren asked, walking deeper into his room and yanking out his phone. Rebecca didn't even bother nodding. She threw the book into the air and caught it by the spine as Ren was directed to voicemail. "Your mom sucks at answering the phone."

"She might have left her personal one at home," Rebecca shrugged. "Too bad she doesn't tell me the number of her work one."

"Who else? Gus?" Ren asked, sitting down on his bed and scrolling through his contacts. He looked up at Rebecca, a sour expression on his face. "Wait, no. Gus broke his phone. He dropped it in the shower, right?"

"It was his sink, idiot," Rebecca corrected. "Who brings their phone into the shower?"

"Gus?" Rebecca pretended to smack Ren across the face with the book as he said this. The small breeze she created in doing so made Ren's jet black hair stir slightly. "Whatever, Airhead. So what now? We don't have landline anymore, and your phone's dead."

"Call Kamilla," Rebecca suggested. Ren dialed her number, waiting a heartbeat before frowning. He removed the phone from his ear, then growled to himself.

"Mine's dead too," Ren announced. He tossed his phone beside him and dragged his fingers across his face in agitation. Rebecca once again caught the book after throwing it, giving Ren a sidelong glare.

"This is going great," Rebecca scoffed. She checked the wall clock on Ren's wall, then sighed. "It's eight o'clock. What do we do now?"

Ren shrugged with one shoulder, but caught Rebecca's earnest gaze. He froze, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I know that look. What's your plan?"

"I don't have a plan," Rebecca lied, whilst gesturing to herself innocently.

 _"Bullshit,_ just tell me," Ren urged.

"Okay," Rebecca said enthusiastically. "City Hall is like a ten minute drive from here. We'll go in my car, and see if the librarian is there. See? It's not really a plan just ... you know. A thought."

Ren nodded his head slowly, but doubt made him frown. "So what if the librarian isn't there?"

"Then we come back! No harm done," Rebecca said nonchalantly. "Both of your parents are at work, and Mieko won't snitch on us."

"And what if you mom figures out that we left without her permission?" Ren inquired, tilting his head. If there was anyone Ren wouldn't pick a fight with, it was Myriam Virk.

Rebecca hesitated, then deadpanned her next sentence: "Then we'll be flayed alive and you'll be sent back to your family in a match box. But hey, we'll probably die an even worse death if we wait for the Dread Doctors to murder us."

Ren knit his brow in alarm. "Wow, thanks. That was a really positive motivational speech."

"It's true, though," Rebecca said, pointing at him with her index finger, knowing she had him wrapped around it. He groaned, knowing there was no way he could chain Rebecca to the house and stop her from going.

"I'm not paying you any gas money." Was the only thing Ren managed to say before Rebecca hauled him out the door.

* * *

"Do you ever think about what Gus said?" Ren asked out of the blue. It had been a mostly silent car ride, and Rebecca was fine to let Ren stew in his own thoughts.

"What?" Rebecca inquired, taking her eyes off the road to look at her friend. "What did Gus say?"

"What do you mean, ' _What did he say'_? It was the most important thing he's said in a while," Ren stated, swallowing extra saliva in his mouth. He wanted her to say it, because it was a sensitive subject. What was sensitive at the moment? Mieko.

"You mean about him thinking that we shouldn't be coddled?" Rebecca clarified, glancing at her rearview mirror. Ren nodded slowly, chewing on his thumb nail. "Yeah. It's actually a good idea because I'm the one who said it to him first."

"When?"

"Here," Rebecca held out her hand. She did _not_ want to recount the night Connor had tried to kill her. Ren looked at her hand warily. Rebecca shook her hand slightly in case Ren hadn't noticed it was there. "Go on. I don't want to get into it."

"It's not safe," Ren replied finally. She placed her palm back on the steering wheel, frowning. He pursed his lips before continuing. "I've been thinking lately. If Satoris can erase memories, change opinions, and mess around in peoples minds, there is literally _no_ way of guaranteeing what will happen if I touch you."

"What do you mean?" Rebecca understood what her friend was saying, but she thought he was taking Gus' message the wrong way. If he was going to hone his powers he was supposed to be confident about it, not shy away from them all together. "You've done this tons of times."

"Yeah, and what if I had accidentally done something to you?" Ren quizzed, and Rebecca hated how upset he sounded. "I want to learn how to use them first."

Rebecca stayed silent. A part of her knew how he felt. Yet the bigger section in her mind didn't want him to fear himself like that. Supernatural powers were a lot of responsibility, and maybe seeing how the Dread Doctors have been abusing that power made Ren want to take better care of what he did.

"I think you should just try and see," Rebecca admitted. She once again held out her hand, palm towards the roof of the car. Before he could protest, she hurriedly added: "Just to see what you need to work on."

"I don't think so-"

"C'mon, Ren," Rebecca said, giving him a reassuring grin. "I trust you."

Ren looked at her hand, and swallowed again. She looked back at the road, waiting patiently. A minute or so went by, and she finally felt Ren's hand ghost over her own. When he at last he was holding it securely, she heard his breathing slow down.

"Gus is ... a bag of dicks," Ren murmured. Rebecca snorted, but didn't bother actually replying. If Ren smacked someone across the face he could read immediate emotions: if he took his time he could concentrate.

Rebecca was pulling into the library parking lot when Ren let go. He was silent, and Rebecca tried to play it off by rolling her shoulders back and craning her neck.

"I think I see a car," Rebecca said. She squinted, having a hard time seeing in the dull light of a lam post. "Let's get out and see."

"I'm sorry, Becks." Ren's voice was so quiet, she didn't realize he had said anything until she noticed him staring at her. He repeated himself, a little louder.

"About what?" Rebecca's hands began to shake, so she tapped a melody using her thumbs on the steering wheel.

"He wouldn't have killed you," Ren whispered. He seemed to be entranced by his new found knowledge, so Rebecca allowed herself to bite her lip anxiously for a moment. "Connor wasn't himself."

"I know," Rebecca said, but didn't mean it. She wondered if he had glimpsed at how worried she was about him. No body was found yet. _Yet._

A door slammed shut and Rebecca nearly smacked her head off the car roof she jumped so high. Ren gave her a wide eyed glance before they hastily began undoing their seatbelts. Scrambling out of her Mazda, Rebecca pointed at a brisk figure, jogging to the only other car in the lot.

"Hey!" Rebecca shouted before she could come up with a better plan. The figure - who was no doubt the librarian - froze for a second before quickening his pace. Ren was a few paces ahead of her when they started sprinting towards him. "Wait a second! Wait!"

Rebecca and Ren leapt between the man and his destination, holding up their hands as signs of peace. He glared down at them over his exceptionally large nose.

" _What?_ " the librarian demanded, shifting a few books under his arms while Ren nudged Rebecca.

"Um, we ... we just want to talk for a few moments," Rebecca said dumbly. She could practically taste the librarian's disdain. "We heard about Travis DeClair, and how he and you were really close-"

"No," the man interrupted loudly. His scowl deepened when she said Travis' name, but Rebecca wasn't convinced by his anger. He had spoken to quickly to stifle suspicion. By the way Ren shifted beside her, he knew it too. "Sorry, children, but you are mistaken. I must insist you step aside and-"

"Not until you tell us why the hell you were sending presents to a recently murdered minor," Ren declared, causing the librarians face to redden. Rebecca resisted the urge to punch him in the arm: she settled instead to gawk at him spitefully.

"Young man, I urge you to take your abhorrent accusations to someone who has the patience to deal with them," the librarian annunciated, as if Ren was five years old. As a reply, he curled his hands into fists.

"Sorry! Sorry about that. We're not here to call you a pedophile," Rebecca stepped in front of Ren hurriedly. She grimaced as the man flinched at her terminology. "Sorry ... um, I know this is kind of inappropriate of us to ask, but we just want to know if Travis did anything strange before he died. You know, to see if we can stop someone else from being a victim."

The librarian scoffed. "I admire your gusto, but you're not detectives. I will talk to the police, and the police only."

"Then why don't you come with us and we'll set up an appointment," Ren offered, his voice biting. His tone made the libarian's words sing a different tune.

"I-I don't think ... you don't have the authority ... who _are_ you? I'll have you know I can file a complaint against you for harassing me like this." The man started to sweat. Rebecca chewed the smirk off of her lips and tried to remain serious. They had him right where they wanted him.

"Cut the shit," Rebecca shrugged off his threats. There was only reason Rebecca deduced as to why he was afraid of going to the police: because he was aware of the supernatural, and maybe he feared the Dread Doctors. "Maybe if you tell us why you stayed silent when an innocent boy was murdered, we won't have your lying ass thrown in a cell."

Despite her mom being a cop, Rebecca gleaned most of her bad-cop attitude from television. The librarian paled. He was guilty of something, that's for sure, but that didn't stop Rebecca from feeling bad for her unnecessarily mean words.

"Hey," she continued awkwardly, trying to soothe the much older, much taller man. She also used this opportunity to test her theory. "You can tell us. Listen, we know things too. Did you give Travis the book to warn him about the Dread Doctors?" The man's eyes widened in horror, and she nodded. "Yeah, we know all about that stuff. And the book, too."

The man just stared at her, in frozen horror. Rebecca shifted her weight, very uncomfortable.

"Hello?" Ren called, waving his hand to try and bring the librarian back to earth. His glassy eyes were starting to freak the two of them out.

When he moved, Rebecca hardly had time to defend herself. The man flung a book at her face, and it bounced off her shoulder. Ren cried out in alarm, but the man shoved him aside as he wove between them and sprinted towards his car.

Rebecca spun on her heel and pounced. She wrapped her arms around the librarian's waist and sent the both of them sprawling on the concrete. Rebecca earned herself quite a few nasty cuts for her efforts, but the older man took most of the impact.

"Hold him!" Rebecca called to Ren, who complied quickly, pinning the old man on his stomach so all of his limbs could be restrained. Rebecca rose to her feet and brushed some of the tiny pebbles out of her various flesh wounds. When she turned around, the man was an ugly crimson colour.

"I didn't know!" The man started wailing, and Ren grunted with the effort to keep him on the ground. "I wanted to warn him! He was a target and I thought if I gave him the book-"

"Then he'd be safe," Rebecca finished, nodding. She knelt down on one knee, cocking her head to look the librarian in the eye. "The question is: how do you know about the Dread Doctors?"

"I knew the author once," the man said, suddenly very agreeable. "He told me that the book was so people would remember the Dread Doctors and fight back. I thought if I gave it to Travis, he'd at least have the common sense to run..."

"I think he tried," Rebecca said flatly. The man grew still, watching her face grimly. "He crawled out of a window, but they got him. What are they?"

"Ancient scientists," the man said proudly. He seemed keen to express his knowledge and not face the embarrassment of being held by two teenagers. "They mix the supernatural and science to create new things. They even used electromagnetic technology to preserve their life indefinitely."

"Creepy," Ren muttered, squeezing the librarian's arms slightly. "And what about you? How do you know all of this?"

The man hesitated. Rebecca squinted at him until he spoke.

"My wife was a member of old Augustus Waters' pack," he uttered reluctantly. Rebecca flinched. "Before she was murdered a few months ago."

Rebecca felt a sour feeling settle at the bottom of her stomach, and the librarian narrowed his eyes at her. She met Ren's worried gaze and exchange glances with him for a few moments. It seemed everything was just one big reminder of what had happened a few months ago.

"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded. Rebecca's mouth twitched.

"Ren, let him go," Rebecca ordered, and he released the man. The librarian leapt to his feet, running his hands over his collared shirt swiftly. He struggled to stand up tall, and Rebecca decided to forgive his snobbish behavior. "So you knew Travis was a target?"

"Have you read it? The book, I mean?" the man inquired. When the two teens nodded, his face hardened. "So you know what they are, then."

"Sort of, we had to do some extra research," Ren offered, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. "But why the hell are they even here? Why are they doing their freaky voodoo stuff?"

"All I know is that they need a successful chimera," the librarian shrugged. Rebecca and Ren looked at one another, puzzled.

"Chimera?" Ren asked.

"Success?" Rebecca inquired.

"Yes," the man groaned, rubbing his eyes as if talking to them was mentally draining. "They turn their victims into chimeras, or hybrids of different supernatural creatures. Unfortunately for them, they struggle with finding the best combination and most of their attempts fail. They want a success. Honestly, did you not read the book?"

"Divulging in fine literature's not our number one priority at the moment," Ren stated. "But that still doesn't tell us why they want to do all of this anyway."

"Who knows?" the man exclaimed, making Rebecca and Ren jump at his loud voice. "Who cares? If they come after you, you're dead. You can't get help, and nobody can help you. Just say goodbye right now, before it's too late."

Rebecca cast her eyes to the man's black shoes. Something about his words made the weight in her chest grow heavier. The librarian saw her crestfallen expression, and rolled his eyes.

"Here, you want some advice? Get out of this town while you still can. If you think the supernatural is a game, you're wrong. And you'll end up dead-"

"We'll take our chances," Ren snapped. He then dropped his scathing expression, instead touching Rebecca's arm gingerly, and causing her to raise her chin to meet his concerned gaze.

The man quietly watched as Ren's fingers faltered before he touched Rebecca's wrist. She managed a weak smile and held his hand gingerly. Could he somehow tell that her insides were churning?

"I thought you seemed familiar," the man said slowly, looking directly at Ren. Not only did the librarian's eyes show awe, but surprise made his mouth open slightly. "An Otsuka, right? I've heard all about _your_ kind."

"Good for you," Ren mocked, making a face.

The man ignored him, taking a step back and sizing the both of them up again. His attention turned to Rebecca. "So, a Satori and ... what are you? Werewolf? No, you're not strong enough... I would suggest a banshee of some kind-"

"My name is Rebecca," she cut him off briskly. He looked at her as if she was a peculiar science experiment and she hated it. "Rebecca Virk."

"Rebecca ..." the man mumbled, as if he recognized the name. Rebecca squeezed Ren's hand as her blood ran cold. She had forgotten he mentioned his wife used to be in Gus' pack. She pursed her lips and waited for him to connect the dots. Ren cringed as well, bracing himself.

Panic gripped Rebecca's lungs as the librarian's eyes enlarged to the size of planets. He brought his hand to his mouth, horror striking him suddenly and making him go rigid.

"No," he breathed, fear making his voice crack. Rebecca shook off Ren's hand and displayed her palms guiltily.

"You've heard of me," she said slowly. The man laughed darkly, and Rebecca Virk chewed the inside of her mouth.

"Heard of you?!" he exclaimed. "Miss Virk, you used to be a legend in this town. My wife used to say you were the bravest tyke she ever did meet."

His tone made any praise a backhanded compliment, and Rebecca knew why. She bowed her head in shame.

"I should have known, but I guess I just hoped that since no one's heard much from you lately, you had left town." He surveyed her again, as if she were a rabid, filthy animal he needed to dispose of. "You really want my advice? I'll give it to you: get out of this town, Rebecca Virk. You bring trouble wherever you go, and we don't need it here anymore."

"Watch your mouth, pal," Ren snarled, his hand splaying across Rebecca's back as she felt tears welling in her eyes. The man took another step back, scared of the enraged Satori.

"I'm not sugarcoating anything," the man seethed, yet still he kept a wary note in his voice. "She knows what she's done to the people of this town..."

"One more word and I'll make you forget how to breathe," Ren threatened.

"You can't do that-"

"Watch me-"

"Wait!" Rebecca interrupted, her voice small. Her neck snapped up, and she squinted into the alleyway beside the parking lot. "Did you hear that?"

Ren held his breath as his supernatural eyes peered into the night, not quite sure what he was looking for. However, he assumed the worst.

"Nothing is there," the man scolded, glaring at Rebecca once more. She looked up, her eyebrows knit together.

"I swore I heard something."

As if on cue, a whir of mechanics reached all of their ears at once. Their eyes fixated on the image of one Dread Doctors emerging from the alley, into the light of a lamppost. It was coming steadily closer.

Rebecca jumped backwards instinctively, and she pulled Ren behind her for safety. The man screamed and Rebecca looked at him, horrified as a second Dread Doctor grabbed him by the arm and suspended him in mid air.

Rebecca was too shocked to react, that is until the Doctor pulled out a needle, the syringe glinting off of the faint light. Rebecca extended her arm, as if she was going to stop the Doctor from six feet away with just her palm.

"No!" the man gargled as the needle found a vein in his neck. "You're too _(gak)_ strong ( _gasp)_ don't give them ... success..."

The Doctor emptied the syringe into the man, and he shook violently, silvery liquid pouring out of his mouth, eyes, and nose. Rebecca gagged, horrified. She had let another person die.

Her gut stirred as she clenched her outstretched hand into a fist. The Dread Doctor dropped the man's body on the ground, as if disposing an old toy. Rebecca saw, out of the corner of her eye, the other Doctor approaching quickly. If she was going to attack, she better do it soon.

However, before she could act, Ren grabbed her arm, and met her wild eyes with his own.

All of her confidence ebbed away. How was she supposed to fight them when Ren in danger? She clenched her jaw and lowered her arm. She knew what she had to do.

Finding Ren's hand with her own and linking their fingers together, Rebecca nodded at her friend. He exhaled as a reply, determination in his gaze.

They turned away from the Doctors, joined by their interlocked hands, and ran for their lives.

* * *

 **Hello! It's been a while.**

 **Lisieux Selwyn - I'm glad you like the story! As for what Rebecca is, I suppose you'll have to hang tight for just a little longer! ;) Not much Theocca in this chapter, sorry about that! As for the pace and such, I am really glad it's good because I'm never sure, and I'm so afraid of writing filler chapters and ugh. Thank you for the review, and don't worry about not being logged in, it happens to the best of us :***

 **thellaraegent - I'm glad you like it! :D. You're amazing too! :***


	13. 10 Steps to Hell

**Hey! *Dodges tomatoes* I know I've been gone forever, and I appreciate each and every one of you if you're still with me! I am grateful for your endless patience! However, you will be delighted to know that I am officially back, and I will once again be updating every Friday, just like I used to.**

 **I hope you'll stick with me, and just known that I am forever grateful! (Responses to ch. 12's reviews are at the end of the chapter :) )**

* * *

As if it wasn't enough knowing that the Dread Doctors were homicidal maniacs, discovering they were super old and death-defying scientists made them that much more terrifying. Rebecca tried not to think about it too much as she sprinted for her life, her various cuts and bruises stinging against a cold breeze.

At one point Ren stumbled. Since their hands were still firmly intertwined, he threatened to drag Rebecca down with him. She skidded to halt and hastily extended her arm to try and catch him.

Unfortunately he hit the pavement, and Rebecca lurched forward, but managed to stay on her feet. The whirring of the Dread Doctors became ever louder in her ears, making panic flood out any other thought.

"C'mon!" Rebecca urged, grabbing Ren's shoulder. "Hurry up!"

Ren winced and his hand strayed to his kneecaps, but he swallowed the pain and forced himself to keep running.

Rebecca tugged Ren down a side path, lined with a fence and dense shrubbery. Until then, she had been hoping someone would come out of their house and help them. However, fear of a serial killer had caused people to lock their doors tightly, and there was no light in any window they had passed.

Rebecca and Ren were halfway down the path when Ren dug his heels into the ground and stopped their escape.

"Wait! Rebecca, wait." She turned to look at him, irritation making her eyes flash. Ren released her hand and bent over, wheezing. His fingers touched his knees gingerly, and Rebecca finally noticed that his jeans had torn and blood was gushing from the nasty looking scrapes he had acquired from falling earlier.

"Oh my god," Rebecca covered her mouth, squeezing her cheeks slightly. "Oh my god, Ren. Are you okay? Of course you're not okay ... oh my god."

Ren plucked a piece of asphalt out of his wounds and bit back his disgust. "I think I'm good for now."

Rebecca ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled deeply. "What the hell do we do, Ren? I don't know what to do... what do we do?"

"I don't know," Ren whispered. He watched as Rebecca rubbed her eyes furiously, as if trying to wake up from a bad nightmare. "We could circle back and go to your car ..."

"Electrical based stuff doesn't really work around them," Rebecca stated bitterly. "We wouldn't get far."

"Okay, well, if you have your phone we could run a bit farther and try to call your mom-"

"My phone's dead back at your place, remember?" Rebecca shook her head, crossing then uncrossing her arms. "Do you have yours? Wait - shit. Yours is dead too?"

Ren nodded and gasped as his knees throbbed. His fingers were covered in blood, and rubbing them off on his jeans wasn't working very well.

"Ren," Rebecca murmured hoarsely as her ears strained to catch any sounds of pursuit. "Where are they?"

They stopped breathing for a second, but the few moments of silence were broken by Rebecca groaning in frustration. When she spoke, her voice was tight and shaky.

"Ren, the librarian's dead." Ren looked up, and watched as her brown eyes became watery. "Ren ... the librarian ... we just left him..."

"Stop it," Ren commanded, reaching out and grabbing her elbow. He swayed slightly because of the sudden weight shift, and Rebecca leaned in to support him. "Stop beating yourself up over this, Becks. We couldn't do anything."

"Ren, I can't do this," Rebecca said, sounding strangled. She began to hyperventilate, and Ren's eyes widened in horror as she doubled over. "Ren ... I can't watch ... I can't do ... Ren ... I can't watch another person die ... I can't ... can't ..."

Ren knelt down, flinching as his open wound touched the filthy cement. He placed his hand on her upper back while wiping a few stray hairs away from her face with the other.

"Listen to me, Becks. C'mon, you're strong enough, just listen to me for five seconds," Ren coached, remembering the last time Rebecca had a panic attack. "I'll count. Okay, ready?"

Rebecca pursed her mouth and plugged her nose. The only noise she allowed herself to hear was Ren's voice.

"...Three, four ... and five!"

Rebecca took a deep breath and stood up abruptly, placing her hands on her neck, while her elbows rested loosely beside her head. Ren staggered to his feet as well, biting his tongue to stop himself from crying out in pain.

Rebecca's hair framed her face in messy clumps, but she was too busy trying to steady her breathing to care. Ren allowed her to take a few steps away from him, so she could clear her head.

There was a mark on Rebecca's back, made of an unsettling red colour. Ren glanced at his hand, noticing that all of the blood on it had been transferred to her shirt. He opted not to tell her, for fear of awakening more emotions.

"We need to call my mom," Rebecca said. Her voice was uneven and soft, but she was trying. Turning to Ren, she extended her hand. "Are you okay?"

Ren nodded, not exactly voicing the truth. He took her hand.

"We'll find a payphone," she declared. "I'll call my mom. She'll come get us."

Ren held her hand tighter, signifying he was ready to run. So they did.

With the Dread Doctors nowhere in sight, Rebecca's strides became less shaky, and more fueled with purpose. They ran by one street, then two, but they found no sign of any payphone. Ren swore he could hear the faint grinding and clicking of their attackers, but then again the entire world seemed to be in sharp focus as they searched for help.

"There!" Rebecca muttered, afraid to raise her voice. Ren released her hand and slowed to a walk as his friend sprinted to the old phone box, whipping the door open and patting her pockets for a coin.

Ren leaned against the small rectangular booth as Rebecca dialed her mother's number. He looked down the street where they had just come from, the feeling of being watched making the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight. They weren't alone, that was for sure.

"Mom?" Rebecca practically shouted into the phone. Her voice made Ren cringe. His eyes watered. He looked at his shaking hands curiously - what was going on? The blood on the tips of his fingers seemed to change colours.

"Rebecca?" Myriam Virk hollered through the line. Rebecca nearly collapsed from relief. "Rebecca, where the hell are you-"

"Mom, me and Ren are downtown, at least seven blocks from the library." Rebecca's words rushed out of her mouth like water from a running tap. "Mom, the Dread Doctors are here. I'm so sorry I didn't stay at home, mom. I'm so sorry..."

"Rebecca, slow down," Myriam commanded, causing Rebecca to bite her tongue in frustration. "Seven blocks from the what? We'll come and get you."

"The library, mom, the library! Hurry, the Doctors are coming ... Mom?" Rebecca called, the other line fizzing out to static. "Mom?!"

Rebecca waited a few moments before hanging up the phone numbly. Had her mom heard? She looked at the numbers for a few seconds, cursing herself for not being more calm.

She stepped outside. When she couldn't immediately see Ren, her heart stopped.

"Ren?" Rebecca's voice was taut with fear.

"Here," Ren murmured, his voice not strong enough to expell anything louder. Rebecca turned on her heel and gasped loudly at the sight of him on his knees, his arms limply by his side. He looked completely defeated.

"Ren?" Rebecca said as she held his round face in her hands. His neck lolled, and she winced. His eyes were vacant, but his nose was twitching, like a feral animal. "What the hell is happening?"

 _Ren was too busy focusing on someone behind Rebecca. He ignored his friend's cries and her desperation. He looked past her large brown eyes, full of sadness and loss. He noticed something else._

Rebecca heard Ren whispering something under his breath, but despite her straining to catch his words, she simply could not understand him. She shook her head, trying to get Ren to slow down, to make more sense.

"Ren, I don't … I don't _understand,_ " Rebecca said.

 _Ren stared right at the movement beyond Rebecca's shoulder. He made eye contact with the thing that was trying to creep up on them. He could … feel it. Even though the thing was shrouded by darkness and quite a bit away, he somehow_ knew _what it was feeling._

Rebecca's bottom lip trembled. She didn't know what to do. Should she haul Ren to his feet? When she tried, he refused to move, pushing her off of him. She pulled her hair and watched him sit in the middle of the road, confused.

 _The thing wasn't a thing after all. It was … its name was …_

Ren's lips were cracked and his mouth was dry, so when he loudly uttered a name, Rebecca was too startled to comprehend it.

"What?" Rebecca asked, leaning in and looking her friend dead in the eye.

Ren focused on her so suddenly, she wanted to recoil. He said in a raspy voice: "Connor MonHeim."

Rebecca was confused. What about Connor? Finally, she followed Ren's gaze, just as her old friend stepped out into the street.

Rebecca rose to her feet quickly, but could do nothing more than gawk. It was Connor alright. He still had his upturned nose, his brown hair, and his signature towering height. Yet he looked awful: as if the devil had come and dragged him through hell on the back of a pickup truck.

Rebecca looked at his bloody and bruised face and felt her lungs tighten. He staggered towards her, and even from far away she could see that he was limping.

She took a step towards him, just as a power surge made the street light explode. It just so happened to be the one that illuminated Connor.

As quickly as he had come, he was gone. Connor ran at the sudden explosion, and Rebecca couldn't hope to catch up to him. She called out his name, but her voice just echoed to nothingness.

She looked dejectedly at the spot where she saw him, listening to her echoes reverberate through the street.

She could almost feel the world spinning underneath her. Rebecca turned around, her mind buzzing with words she couldn't say.

Ren groaned, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hand. She looked at him, shoulders slumped, as he slurred: "Wha …?" He tried to move his limbs, but they were sluggish, and his head felt like it was splitting open.

Rebecca's mouth twitched as the colours in Ren's eyes drained away. He could barely see in the near darkness, and Rebecca was just a vague silhouette. Why was she standing so far away?

He squinted, and the longer he looked, the more he could make out her crestfallen expression. The bracelet on her wrist shone as well, because as the seconds went by, Rebecca was lighting up.

Was this it? Had Ren complrtely lost his mind? Was his best friend glowing?

"Look out!" Rebecca yelled, springing too life and bounding towards him. Ren twisted around awkwardly to see what had caused Rebecca to panic: turns out it was a huge black van ripping down the road at extreme speed.

Ren, who just so happened to be in the middle of the street, swore loudly.

Rebecca flung her body over Ren's at the last second, as if that would somehow help either of them.

The van screeched to a halt far away enough to spare Rebecca and Ren's lives, but close enough to make their heart's stop.

Ren poked Rebecca's shoulder to rouse her from the no doubt uncomfortable position she was in. The passenger's door opened and a short woman hopped out of the vehicle. There was no point in hiding, since the two of them were clearly illuminated by the car's headlights.

The woman stomped over to them, bending down and grabbing Rebecca by the ear so she sat up properly.

"Ow!" Rebecca whined, grabbing the woman's hand in protest as all the life drained out of Ren. He knew exactly who had come and 'saved' them.

"Mom?" Ren whispered hoarsely as she grabbed his ear as well. Mrs. Otsuka looked thunderous as she forced the two teenagers to stand upright. She looked between the two of them, hissing her disgust.

"You _ignorant_ children. How _dare_ you run away like that? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Ren's mother kept a firm grip on both of their ears as she forced them to look into her raging black eyes. "Going off without permission, running around like idiots, you could have got yourself killed, you know that?"

Rebecca and Ren knew better than to interrupt her, but her prolonged pause made them believe that she actually wanted a response.

"Mrs. Otsuka, we didn't mean-" Rebecca started, but her voice was drowned out by the woman's shrill words.

" _REBECCA RIM VIRK YOUR MOTHER WAS WORRIED SICK."_ Rebecca pursed her lips together and looked at the ground. "How dare you put her in that situation? That was selfish and stupid, plain and simple.

"And _you_ ," Mrs. Otsuka growled, pinching her son's ear even tighter. "You better get ready for nothing but punishment for the rest of your sorry life, Ren Otsuka."

"Shimako, get them in the car," Mr. Otsuka demanded, rolling down the window of the driver's seat and waving to get his wife's attention.

Shimako paused, then released the two kids, jerking her thumb at the Otsuka's van, as she scowled at her husband.

"It's a good thing they're still alive, with your reckless speeding, Kyou," Shimako groused. "Get out of the driver's seat. I want us all to remain intact."

"Really?" Mr. Otsuka sighed, shaking his head. "There's no time!"

"There's enough time for me to walk over there and pull you out of the car; which means there's enough time for you to get your cute ass up and let me drive," Mrs. Otsuka fired back. The two bickered for a few more seconds, but after the little dispute was over they were on their way, with Shimako at the wheel.

Rebecca and Ren stayed silent, not bothering to ask where they were going, but Rebecca deduced it was her house. They wouldn't go to the Otsuka household, because Meiko was there, and Gus' place was too small.

Rebecca reached out, and Ren hesitated before taking her hand.

 _It's going to be okay,_ Rebecca thought, and Ren sighed out loud.

 _We can't be sure_.

Rebecca blinked, looking at Ren. She had never heard his thoughts in her head so loudly before. Granted, it sounded as if he was yelling at top volume, but she let him know that he was making some progress. His happy screeches in her mind were worth the pain that bounced around her head.

Rebecca and Ren sat side by side on the couch of the Virk House as Myriam practically kicked down the door to get in. They had been waiting for under twenty minutes, after Mr. Otsuka had called both Gus and Myriam. Ren's parents were torn between scolding them vicariously and treating their various wounds.

Myriam charged into the house and called out for Rebecca. Rebecca stood up as Myriam came into her line of sight. For a second, the strawberry blond girl thought Myriam was about to pull out her gun and shoot her own daughter with it; that's how angry she looked.

A heartbeat later, Myriam was standing in front of Rebecca, pulling her into a breathtaking hug. Rebecca wrapped her arms around her mom as the poor Deputy shook slightly.

"When the phone line went out, I thought something had happened to you," Myriam whispered, a few tears leaking out of her eyes. She squeezed her daughter tighter, as the teenage girl buried her face into her mom's shoulder. "Thank _god …_ "

"I'm sorry, mom," Rebecca croaked, feeling her own emotions overflowing. Myriam held her little girl in her arms for a few more moments before they separated. Myriam touched her daughter's face gingerly, then turned to Ren.

"And you too," Myriam said, her eyes focused on Ren's bandaged knees. "You went and got yourself hurt."

"It's nothing, Miss Virk," Ren murmured, but took Myriam's hand when she offered it. He stood up and welcomed the Deputy's hug warmly.

The Otsuka's watched Myriam rub Ren's back soothingly. The young Satori swallowed hard and struggled to stay composed.

"I'm glad you're safe," Myriam admitted, allowing another tear to escape from her eyes. Ren could only offer a thin lipped smile in response.

After they let go, Myriam cleared her throat loudly, looking over the pair of teens carefully. "Now … _what on_ _Earth_ _were you two thinking?!_ "

Another ten minutes of Myriam and The Otsuka's teaming up to yell at the ensued, and Rebecca and Ren allowed it to happen with bowed heads. Then came an intense interrogation, where Myriam and the Otsuka's demanded to know _why_ the hell their children were out there in the first place, and what overcame them to do such a thing in the first place.

Rebecca and Ren explained their predicament, and the what the librarian told them. Mr. Otsuka shook his head when they got to the part where Rebecca tackled the poor man to the ground. The two teens told them everything.

However, when they were concluding their thrilling tale, Ren began to explain that he saw something while he was in a trance. Rebecca, who wasn't ready to share any information pertaining to Connor MonHeim, silenced him with a touch of her hand.

"I went to see what it was, but I didn't notice anything. That's when Mr. and Mrs. Otsuka arrived," Rebecca explained. Ren stayed steady, his expression not betraying his true confusion. Did Rebecca know something he didn't about Connor?

Mr. Otsuka seemed wary, and Rebecca held his gaze as best as she could manage. Lying to Ren's father always was painstaking.

Saved by Gus bursting through the door, Rebecca averted her eyes. She nodded at Theo, who trailed him into the house.

"Finished?" Myriam asked her fellow officer, her voice sharp. She was thinking over Rebecca's story, and anything else in her mind was an over complicated distraction.

"Yeah, we finished about an hour ago," Gus said, glancing at Theo proudly. "We dropped Kamilla off before her curfew."

Shimako whispered to her husband, then turned to Gus, obvious disdain in her eyes. "You … toted around kids all day? I thought you were rounding up civilians?"

Gus, with an equal amount of disgust, looked back at Mrs. Otsuka after wiping his nose on his sleeve. "They can handle it, Shimako. Relax."

Myriam and Shimako exchanged incredulous looks, and Mr. Otsuka observed the situation quietly. Rebecca wished she could tell what he was thinking.

Ren leaned into Rebecca and whispered, knowing full well that Gus could hear what he was saying. "They put all of the victims in one place? What a nice way for the Doctors to hand-pick who they want."

Rebecca looked at Gus, who swelled up in agitation at Ren's criticism. He leaned in, an intimidation technique, and looked Ren dead in the eye: "No, smart ass. We put in a probation system. We're not stupid, we want these people _alive_."

Ren bit his tongue, not wanting to curse in front of his mother. Rebecca scowled at Gus, and for the first time in a long time, she understood why Ren and his mother were so disgusted by him.

"Ren wasn't talking to you, Gus," Rebecca stated, her tone dry.

Gus scoffed, shaking his head and looking back at Myriam. Yet his discomfort was obvious. Rebecca felt a bit of satisfaction at watching him squirm under everyone's critical gaze.

"Anyway, everything is dealt with."

"Not _everything,"_ Myriam corrected, turning back to Ren and Rebecca. The venom in her eyes still made them shift uncomfortably. "You two are like magnets, you know that? Bad things happen when you two are around."

Rebecca touched Ren's hand so he knew that she wasn't a fan of her mom passively blaming them. However, Mr. Otsuka caught the motion, and grinned wryly at her.

"So, I think I speak for all of us," Myriam said, turning to check if Mrs. Otsuka was nodding along, "when I say it's best if you don't go alone. Anywhere."

Ren and Rebecca started to speak, but it was cut off by a deadly glare from Shimako. Ren shifted, unhappy.

"Theo and Kamilla will be with you at school, and an adult will be with you everywhere else. This is _not_ debatable, so don't flap your jaws like that, you're not fish," Myriam ordered, causing Rebecca to shut her jaw so tightly, pain sparked in her temples.

"Mom," Rebecca hissed through her teeth. "Don't do this. Without me and Ren, we wouldn't know half the things we do about the Dread Doctors-"

"If it weren't for you, Rebecca," Myriam shouted, glaring at her daughter. "That librarian might still be alive."

That remark shut Rebecca up quickly, as she turned hr gaze to the floor. She was too angry to cry, but she felt her guts twist as the furniture rattled.

There was a breath of silence, where everyone in the room looked over at Rebecca as she tried to calm herself down. Rebecca felt her abilities unfurl from her body as a framed picture of her and her mom fell off of a shelf and hit the ground with a startling crash.

Rebecca's fists were clenched so tightly they shook, but she refused to try and remove herself from the company she was in. The crimson in the edge of her eyes made her want to scream. The wind outside howled, and the lights in the room flickered. The house groaned.

The fear of everyone else in the room was palpable. Myriam had struck a nerve with Rebecca, and she was seconds away from exploding.

Ren put his hand on Rebecca's back, touching the bloody handprint that he had put on her shirt earlier. As soon as Ren touched Rebecca, the rattled ceased. Rebecca closed her eyes and Ren patted her shoulders soothingly.

Theo, who was silent up until now, watching the transaction unfold carefully. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that Ren was Rebecca's anchor …

Rebecca's shohlders wilted, and she looked up at the people in the room. She avoided her mother altogether. "Leave me alone."

The room was emptied in a matter of seconds, with only Ren lingering for a second longer. Myriam exited to the kitchen, and Rebecca knew she should be apologizing, but she couldn't bring herself to.

Rebecca looked at the framed picture that fell. There was an ugly crack, splitting the image into two. On one side was Rebecca, separated from her mother, who was on the other side.

Rebecca's hands shook as she picked up the picture. She thought of the librarian, but didn't cry.

"It's not my fault," Rebecca assured herself, her voice quaking. "It can't be my fault."

But that's what he said these abilities would mean; that she had the ability to stop these things. Therefore, if she didn't stop them, they became yet another drip onto her ledger.

Rebecca hated her father with all of her might, but she couldn't disagree with that statement.

* * *

 **Wolftear1 - You wrote this way back in March, but thank you! I made you wait a long time, but here's the next chapter! You stay awesome too, and your English is great! You're not creepy either, I hope this was a good enough chapter for you lol :)**

 **Lisieux Selwyn - Yay! Thanks so much for commenting again, and I'm glad you like it! Tha k you so much for your nice words. I promise, next Friday I will have a lot of Theocca just for you :)**

 **Guest - Here I am!**

 **Guest - I was really bummed when Theo died, and I was wondering if anyone would still even read this story ... but I'm back, don't worry!**

 **XxRikela-chanxX - You were 100% correct, it was her dad! *creepy music* I guess we'll have to wait and see what she is ... now you won't have to wait so long! The suspense won't kill you (hopefully) :)**


	14. Otsuka Intervention

Rebecca bit the end of her pencil thoughtfully, then frowned at herself. Now was _not_ the time to indulge in such bad habits, especially when she was supposed to be talking to someone.

The kid she was talking to - Austin - paused momentarily, and Rebecca landed back on earth, hoping that he hadn't asked her a question.

"Mmhm," Rebecca nodded, gesturing for him to continue speaking.

He seemed a bit suspicious, but his elation returned within seconds: "So I don't know how busy you'll be this year, Rebecca, but if you want to swing by some time and help out with the semi formal, that'd be fantastic."

 _Semi formal_? Rebecca put down her pencil in disbelief. People were dying, but huzzah! Let's dance! She could understand the need for a distraction, though.

"Maybe, Austin," Rebecca said, turning to her books and flipping to a random page. It was English class, and they were reading something called _The Chrysanthemums_. Rebecca would read anything if it didn't have to do with Dread Doctors, honestly, so she didn't mind how boring it sounded.

Austin, who was standing beside her desk, noticed her vacant eyes, and hesitated. Rebecca looked up at him warily. He obviously had something else to say.

"Are you … going to the dance though?" Austin asked quickly. "I mean, I'd hate for all of this planning to go to waste, and the more the merrier, right?"

"I don't know," Rebecca answered honestly. She looked at his face, and hoped to God that he wasn't about to ask her to go with him. Austin was a nice guy, and she didn't want him to think she was pompous or anything.

"Excuse me."

Rebecca turned to find none other than Theo Raeken sit down in the empty desk beside her. Austin, with a sudden wish to depart, gave Rebecca an awkward salute before stalking off. Rebecca turned to look at Theo, moving her jaw to visualize her irritation.

"He's a bit weird, don't you think?" Theo questioned, his mouth quirking upwards. Rebecca pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows at him. Theo played off her cold stare while unpacking his books and making himself at home beside her.

"What?" He finally asked, after her unwavering glare became uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" Rebecca interrogated. Theo raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm your partner for the project on this book … _The Chrysalids?_ " Theo said, sifting through his papers to try and find said book.

" _Chrysanthemums,_ " she corrected, smiling bitterly. "And you're not my partner, Mr. Gordon said Kamilla is."

"Sure I am, me and Kamilla switched partners," Theo said. "Gordon said we could."

She cocked her head and looked beyond Theo to Kamilla. She winked and gave her a thumbs up. Rebecca turned back to Theo who shrugged, then looked straight ahead and sighed.

"Of course you did," she muttered. Theo was taken aback at her moodiness.

"Why? Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Nah," Rebecca said, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she made an exaggerated ' _don't worry_ ' hand gesture. "I don't mind people doing everything they can so they can stalk me during school. It's not like my mom doesn't do that enough at my own house."

Theo narrowed his eyes at her, leaning in to grab her attention. "I'm not doing this so I can watch you, that's Kamilla's job. I asked because I'm bad at English."

"Sure," Rebecca replied, giving him a fake smile. Theo shook his head, watching her throw a temper tantrum like a little kid. Rebecca knew she was overreacting, but the entire 'Kamilla and Theo will keep an eye on you at school' thing was still an open wound. It added insult to injury to the fact that Gus, and most of the adults, found Ren and Rebecca helpless.

Twenty minutes had gone by, where Rebecca had offered next to no words to her partner, and Theo was left to talk to Kamilla instead. Rebecca got a text, and glanced at her phone.

"Monkey Brain," Rebecca chided quietly. Ren was in class, why was he messaging her?

 _If the Doctors use electricity to stay alive, what if that's why they glitch around so much?_

Rebecca read the message once, then twice. It made sense, and Rebecca smiled slightly. Ren was in physics right now, of course he wasn't paying attention.

"Miss Virk," Mr Gordon popped up out of thin air, scaring Rebecca out of her skin. She handed him her phone, a guilty look on her face. He shook his head and pointed a commanding finger down at her open novel. "Read."

Rebecca scowled and waited for him to saunter away before turning to Theo, who was busy pretending to work so he wouldn't get in trouble.

"Hey," Rebecca whispered. "What if the Doctors use electricity to stay alive? Theo, are you listening? The Dread Doctors could be using electricity to survive."

"I'm pretty sure Doctors don't appreciate you calling them names," Theo muttered back. Rebecca furrowed her eyebrows.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"And I'm pretty sure Doctors just use electrical equipment to save lives, not to survive," Theo responded, never lifting his eyes from the book. Rebecca groaned and rest her chin in her hand.

"That's not funny," Rebecca said, trying not to seem like she was pouting. Theo grunted as a reply, turning the page in the sassiest way he could manage. Rebecca looked at the ceiling, then back at Theo. Finally, she caved.

"Alright! Alright," Rebecca exclaimed, resting her elbows on the desk and raising her hands in surrender. "You win. I'm sorry I'm a bitch."

"You're not a bitch," Theo said, giving her a look that made her nose crinkle. "You're just acting like one."

Rebecca rubbed her forehead, exhausted. "I know, I know. I just … feel like everyone's against me right now. And I haven't gotten enough sleep in like, weeks."

"No one's against you. We just don't want you to die," Theo stated. The word _we_ bounced around in her head as she looked between both of his eyes.

"You sound like my mom," she pointed out.

"Maybe you should listen to her, then," Theo suggested sarcastically. Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I just want to be on your side. Having you not die would help."

"Wow," Rebecca taunted, blinking slowly. "Thank you for that, really."

"Stop it," Theo said, upset with her uncaring attitude. "Why don't you take your own life seriously?"

"Chill out, Dr. Phil," Rebecca responded, flaring her nostrils. "I've got my life, you got yours."

Theo scoffed. "Whatever, Rebecca."

Rebecca turned away from him, crossing her arms and scowling at the novel in front of her. She ground her teeth in sync with the clock that was moving at a sluggish pace. Her heart beat slowed down, and she could feel her head nodding as she fell asleep …

"... That we could start sometime soon?" Theo was saying. Realizing that Rebecca was half asleep, he _accidentally_ dropped his hard cover book onto his desk. Rebecca's eyes flew open at the sound.

"Ah!" Rebecca exclaimed, thrusting her hands out and smacking her wrist on the edge of the desk. She bit her tongue to stop herself from swearing, while turning to Theo, burning a venomous glare into his taunting eyes. "What?!"

"I was asking you about this book report we have to do for _The Chrysalids_ ," Theo explained, smirking slightly. Rebecca, who was too fed up to find him funny, clenched her jaw. Her thoughts went a million miles an hour as she tried to come up with some way to get him back.

Deciding to be petty, Rebecca pushed all of Theo's books off of his desk and onto the floor. The commotion turned a few heads, but Rebecca couldn't care less. Her eyes never deviated from Theo as she angrily made her point.

Smiling smugly, Rebecca crossed her legs and hummed a quiet tune while watching Theo get out of his desk and pick up his things. A few students offered their help, and in no time Theo was back beside her, steam coming from his ears.

"You're an asshole, you know that, right?" Theo stated, his voice biting. She had taken his light mood and twisted it until he looked as sour as she felt.

"Wow, I'm shaking," Rebecca murmured. "An asshole? How shall I recover from these wounds thou hast given me?"

Theo turned back to his book, opting to not reply to her at all. Rebecca closed her books and rest her forehead against them. She sighed deeply, feeling guilt rise in her chest. The past few days at odds with her mom left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. However, that was no excuse as to why she was being a demon to everyone else.

She stayed silent for ten more minutes before tapping Theo's arm with her fingernail. He turned to her slowly.

"Maya is a telepath," Rebecca said, referring to the book they were reading. Her face was squashed against her forearm that was slung over the pile of books. Rebecca swore she looked pathetic, but she didn't care. "We should do one of our character analysis' on her. She's got a lot of backstory."

"You've read this before?" Theo asked, his tone flat. It was as if he was shocked that she had dared to try and talk to him after the previous fiasco.

"Sadly," Rebecca responded, pursing her lips together. "Also, Maya isn't an asshole; I think you've had to deal with enough of those."

Theo held her gaze for a few moments before writing down Maya's name in his notebook. Rebecca let out a long breath through her teeth, feeling guilt grip her stomach.

The bell rang, and Theo began to pack up his books quickly. Rebecca did the same, but at a slower pace. She waved goodbye to Kamilla, who was already sprinting for the door. She also wondered why Kamilla had decided to switch partners with Theo.

"I don't know how you want to get this project done," Theo said, startling Rebecca out of her reverie. He adjusted the straps on his backpack and looked down at her with a softer look than before. "But we'll figure it out somehow."

Rebecca nodded as she watched him leave the room. She looked at Mr. Gordon, who was eagerly shoving his students out the door, and sighed. Now it was time to grovel for her cellphone.

Ren didn't know how to approach the subject, so he stood in the doorway of his own kitchen for an awkward amount of time before his father became concerned.

"Are you alright?" Mr. Otsuka asked, putting down a spoon he was using to ladle sauce. The aroma of the room was heavenly, but to Ren's twisting stomach, it became more nauseating than anything else.

"I don't know, Dad," Ren answered honestly. He had been meaning to speak with his dad for the past few days; ever since the night he and Rebecca saw Connor MonHeim. More specifically, the night Ren felt a dizziness linked to the supernatural aspect of his existence. Something had unscrewed that night, and Ren was having a hard time bottling it back up again.

Mr. Otsuka removed his apron and gestured to the dining room. Ren made his way over while his father shut off the stove. When both of the Satori's were sitting face to face at the table, Ren tapped his fingernails on the tablecloth.

"I think something's wrong," Ren admitted. Kyou allowed his son to speak, watching him with an earnest yet respectful gaze. His son was obviously still uncomfortable. "That night, when the Librarian died and you nearly ran me over, something happened."

"You saw Connor MonHeim," Mr. Otsuka said. Ren looked up, surprised. "When I was cleaning Rebecca's bruises I saw her thoughts for a second. Did something happen? Did he threaten you?"

"No, Dad," Ren said, his voice betraying how frustrated he was with himself. What was the point in trying to tell someone? He could hardly explain how it had felt. "It's not about Connor. It's about … me."

Mr. Otsuka waited with a patience Ren was grateful for. The comfortable silence allowed him to retrieve his scattered thoughts.

"After we watched him … you know," Ren said, gesturing his hands so he didn't have to say it. "It was like the world was suddenly real. Like, _realer_ than real. I heard things that weren't even there, but I knew they _were_ there. And I saw all of these colours; ones that don't even exist!"

Mr. Otsuka drew back in his chair and looked at Ren with a thoughtful expression as his son rambled on.

"And I don't know what to do, because ever since then, it's like … I'm less of myself, and more of something else," Ren blurted. He ran his fingers through his shiny black hair, while his eyes roamed the room to look at anything but his father.

The Otsuka dining room did not escape Shimako's obsessive need for walls lined with decorations Yet Ren never minded a particular painting of a village where his great grandfather grew up; Shirakawa. The painting displayed two small people walking toward their houses on a path lined with trees.

The painting reached out to him every time he looked, with comforting colours and a reminder that he was more than just a supernatural creature. He had history. His family was not just comprised of beasts that stalked and sometimes even ate humans.

Now, however, the assurance that he was more than just a telepathic coward wavered.

Ren looked away from the painting, and looked at his father, who had followed his son's gaze. Kyou sensed the distress in his son, but one of the things they had always agreed on was mutual respect. Mr. Otsuka would not lie straight to his son's face just to provide temporary comfort, and Ren would swallow that fact.

"You recall, Ren, when I told you about our kind?" Mr. Otsuka questioned. He looked back at his son, who pursed his lips in confirmation. Kyou nodded, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "Then you know that Satori's were cowards. They read people's minds to cause fear so that they could inflict pain."

"And eat the people walking in the mountains," Ren added, a twinge of bitterness in his voice. "I know, dad. They confused them by speaking their thoughts, then ate them. Nice stuff."

"Agreed," his father said, smirking. Ren's eyes glimmered as he mirrored the gesture. "You also know that Satori's were giant money creatures."

"Oh yeah," Ren said, puffing up his cheeks with air before releasing it through puckered lips. "They were pretty ugly."

"Yes. They were," Kyou laughed. Ren didn't know if it was Kyou's powers that were reaching out and comforting him, or if it was just Mr. Otsuka being a father. Ren hoped it was the latter. "And that's it. They were _monkeys_ , Ren. You can act up sometimes, but you're not a monkey."

Ren sat back in his chair while scoffing. The lightness in his voice did not reach his crinkled brow. "Thanks."

Kyou ducked his head to keep himself in Ren's line of sight. "I know what you're thinking."

"What? That you're wrong?" Ren said sharply, much more abrupt than he meant to be. "I know we aren't monkeys, Dad. It's called _evolution_. We changed, doesn't make us any less Satori."

"It does," Kyou stated, leaning back a bit. "We evolved, Ren. We aren't primitive monkeys anymore. We are strong, capable _humans_ with enhanced abilities because we evolved differently from everyone else.

"I never expected you to accept this with open arms, but I won't let you think of yourself so lowly," Mr. Otsuka declared, sighing as Ren fiddled with the tablecloth. "And what is happening to you, perhaps is triggering your Satori abilities. That's not a bad thing, Ren. I don't want you to have Rebecca Virk syndrome, where you try and run from who you are instead of accepting yourself."

"You should be on one of those daytime soap operas," Ren muttered, making Kyou laugh, then stand up.

"I love you, Ren. But you know what you think is up to you. I just hope you can see that you're a smart young man who better start studying more and getting into trouble less," Mr. Otsuka said. Ren grimaced when his father ruffled his hair.

"I'm not three years old," Ren grunted, pushing his dad's hand away and standing up as well, ready for another attack. His father just laughed and made his way back to the kitchen. Ren's smile evaporated as his dad walked away.

"Hey, dad?" Ren called.

"Yes?" Mr. Otsuka asked, turning around and raising his eyebrows.

"Can you … help me out sometime?" Ren asked. His father stared at him blankly for a few moments, so he added: "You know, to hone my abilities."

Kyou smiled, putting on his apron while shaking his head in amusement. "Only you would make something like this seem like a video game."

"I don't even like video games that much," Ren groaned. He hasn't played video games in weeks, for God's sake. He just didn't seem to have the time anymore.

Kyou looked at his son for a moment longer, an emotion Ren couldn't recognize gleaming in his father's eye. "Of course I will, Ren."

"Thanks Dad," Ren murmured, looking at his socked feet, not wanting to look at the pride in Kyou's stare. He quickly slid out of the dining room, and was halfway through the kitchen when he remembered something. "Oh yeah: can Rebecca and Kamilla come over after dinner?"

Kyou raised his eyebrows while turning on the stove once more. "I don't know, I have to head into work for a meeting tonight."

"Mom will be home, right?" Ren pointed out, but his Dad still exclaimed a reluctant sigh.

"Fine," Kyou said. "But do me a favour; go into Mieko's room and check how she is. I haven't seen her all day."

A few hours later, Ren's room was crowded. And Ren, with his everlasting hatred for textbooks, slammed his face into one in spite. Kamilla snorted and Rebecca raised her eyebrows, too distracted to be amused.

"Don't lose the rest of your brain cells, Monkey Man," Kamilla snickered, poking his shoulder and causing him to groan. "This whole electricity business is messy. Believe it or not, we actually need you for once."

Gaining permission from her mom, Rebecca had stopped by the library on her way over and grabbed a few books so that they could research Ren's theory about the Doctors. Now, they were huddled in his ever- disastrous room with books, notebooks, and pencils littered across it.

"Eat me." Ren turned his head, his cheek still firmly against the textbook, so he could blow raspberries at Kamilla.

"Both of you, shut your holes," Rebecca said, flipping a page and rubbing her mouth. It was obvious her mind was set elsewhere.

Kamilla and Ren exchanged looks, then stared at Rebecca until she noticed. The strawberry blond glanced up after an uncomfortable expanse of silence, then demanded what they were doing.

"For once, you're not worried about the Dread Doctors," Ren pointed out. Before Rebecca could think of a reply, Kamilla blurted:

"It's about Theo, isn't it? What you told us about English class."

" _What?_ No!" Rebecca huffed, then sighed when her friends stared her down. "Okay, yeah. I don't like taking all of my problems out on him. Or anyone."

"I'm not saying I agree, but I get it," Ren admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "He's got perfect everything; a good body, a nice face, a great car, and he's got hella moves with the ladies." Rebecca squinted at him, her mouth pursed in disapproval, but she didn't argue.

"What's the matter, Becks? Wolf got your tongue?" Kamilla teased, wiggling her eyebrows and biting her lip seductively. "Soon, you'll be falling over your balcony calling him Romeo."

"You're an idiot," Rebecca stated, pointing a pencil at Kamilla's ridiculous swooning.

"For once in her life, Kamilla might be onto something," Ren admitted, making Rebecca open her mouth in surprise. Kamilla turned on him, her eyes bulging.

"Someone get a tape recorder!" Kamilla exclaimed, pretending to sift though the papers in front of her.

"Nevermind," Ren groaned. Rebecca threw her hands in the air and clenched them into fists.

"I hate both of you, for the record," Rebecca said, as Kamilla plugged her nose and made a gagging motion. "But seriously, what I'm going through with Theo is none of your business. Besides, no one is falling in love with anyone, _Kamilla._ "

"You sure?" Ren laughed. "'What I'm going through with Theo' _God_ Rebecca, you make it sound like you're going through your first fight as a couple."

Rebecca's face was red with embarrassment as her friends poked fun at her. She hit her own forehead in exasperation. "You guys are the absolute worst. We aren't a couple! For the last time, me and Theo are _not_ dating, you freaking _vultures_! Besides, he hates me."

Ren rolled his eyes and looked at Kamilla, shaking his head.

"Tell him you feel bad," Kamilla said, taking her phone out of her pocket and dialing a number. She held it up so that Rebecca could see she was calling Theo. "Here, tell him right now."

" _What the hell!_ " Rebecca yelped, tugging on her hair as Theo picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said. Ren, who was a gleeful observer, covered his mouth so no sound of laughter could be heard. Rebecca's face was drained of all colour, and Kamilla smugly put it on speaker phone.

"Hey, Theo!" Kamilla said, sounding cheerful. Rebecca sporadically waved her arms around, making slicing motions with her hands and frantically trying to get Kamilla to end the call. "What are you up to?"

"Um, nothing much. I'm a bit busy though, what's up?" Theo asked. Rebecca, who was getting desperate, reached to Ren's bed, grabbing a pillow and smacking Kamilla in the head with it.

She had no chance to reply as Rebecca shoved the pillow into Kamilla's face and struggled to reach the phone that her friend was holding just out of reach.

"Guys! That's my pillow!" Ren hissed as Rebecca climbed on top of Kamilla, trying to wrest the phone from her hands. Kamilla grunted indignantly, attempting to shove Rebecca off of her.

"What's going on?" Theo asked, concerned. Rebecca pressed her hand against the pillow, which squished it against Kamilla's face even more so than before.

Rebecca, who finally snatched the phone from Kamilla, leapt off of the werewolf and spoke into the phone breathlessly.

"Nothing, everything's fine and nothing is wrong. Everything is fantastic."

Kamilla threw the pillow off of her and lunged for Rebecca, who jumped onto Ren's bed, evading her just barely. The Satori hissed insults at Rebecca while she tried to listen to what Theo was saying.

"Rebecca, is that you?" Theo questioned as Rebecca gawked at Kamilla as the werewolf accidentally knocked over Ren's bedside table. Ren howled, trying to catch it, but ended up having his lamp not only smack him in the head, but land on the floor with a loud crash.

"It's me," Rebecca whispered, trying not to giggle as Kamilla roared with laughter. "Listen, I gotta go…"

"Wait, is Kamilla still there?" Theo asked, which Rebecca replied yes, she is. "Tell her me and Gus need her to come to the old shoe factory downtown."

"Why?" Rebecca asked, shushing her friends and pointing at the phone. She watched it earnestly as worry overtook glee in her expression.

"There's another chimera, and we need all the hands we can get."

The room was dead quiet. Kamilla's narrowed eyes punctured holes into her phone as Ren rubbed his head and hissed in pain.

"I'll be right there," Kamilla said, taking the phone from Rebecca and hanging up. She looked between the other two people in the room, then scrunched her nose. "Don't look at me like that, you guys are coming too."

"We can't," Rebecca said glumly, playing with her fingers as Ren picking up his lamp. "Me and Ren are under lockdown."

"Yeah, I know," Kamilla rolled her eyes. "But I'm the one who is _locking_ you goons up."

"No," Ren interjected, craning his neck forward to patronize Kamilla. "You're a junior to their senior; to be a snitch when we're at school."

"Okay, first of all," Kamilla said, rounding on Ren and putting one taunting finger into the air. "Call me a snitch again, and I'll give you stitches. Second, no 'seniors' are around. You're dads at work, you said your mom's not here-"

"Gus is with Theo, and my Mom's busy!" Rebecca agreed, snapping her fingers. She deflated upon seeing Ren's glare of warning. "But … maybe me and Ren should sit this one out."

Kamilla clicked her tongue and siddled up to Rebecca, bumping her arm with her shoulder. "C'mon. It's the most logical thing to do. If I leave, no one's monitoring you. Monkey Brain could fall into a hole again. Remember that one, Abu?"

"That was weeks ago, you prick," Ren spat, then began to murmur bitterly about how dirty it had been down there

"Plus," Kamilla continued, ignoring Ren. "If you come with us, we will be leaving this forsaken place where there is no - _gasp_ \- adult supervision. And, we will be going to a sanctuary where Gus' wrinkly arms will embrace us with safety and-"

"Okay, okay," Rebecca yelped, blinking a few times to rid herself of the mental image Kamilla was conjuring. "I get it."

There was a long silence, where Rebecca looked between Kamilla and Ren. When Ren finally shrugged his shoulders and cast his eyes down in defeat, Rebecca turned to Kamilla.

"Let's go," Rebecca offered. Kamilla's response was to wink, then haul her two friends out the door and into Rebecca's car.

"This saves me walking, anyway," Kamilla grinned, and Rebecca stuck her tongue out. Ren, who had the unfortunate luck of sitting in the back seat, poked Kamilla in the back of the neck. "I'll take the blame if this goes south, too, so hopefully you won't be eternally angry about the whole calling-Theo incident."

"Don't hold your breath, sunshine," Rebecca muttered as she turned around, checking for traffic before she pulled out of Ren's driveway and into imminent danger.

* * *

 **Can you believe I almost forgot to post this? I bet you can ... considering my posting habits are atrocious.**

 **Wolftear1 - I'm so glad you're still with me :)) I fangirl whenever I get reviews, so we're in the same boat! Thank you so much for your wonderful compliments as well. Theo will be in the next season, and I'm happy to keep him alive until then. :)**

 **Your fav guest (lol I read your name and went: "Well... you're not wrong" :)) - I'm glad to hear it's your favourite! I do know thst Theo's coming back, and I do hope to update quicker! (I'm failing already but ... I'm trying!) Hopefully see you again next week! Kisses back from Canada :)**


	15. Air Head

**Sike! I'm not done with this story. Especially since this is such an important chapter.**

 **(There is one heavy swear in this chapter as well. I don't think I've had very serious swearing thus far)**

* * *

To be fair, Gus was suspicious when Kamilla showed up at the factory on foot.

"Where'd you come from?" he asked, rising from his place in Theo's passenger seat. While running her fingers through her hair, Kamilla offered an out of breath smile.

"I got a ride with my mum until we came close," she explained, aiming her thumb to the east, where she had appeared. "At the edge of the forest, I ran the rest of the way."

From around the corner came Ren's mocking scoff, and it distracted Gus enough for his eyes to wander in the general direction of the sound. Afraid to give away her friends' hiding place, Kamilla broke into a dead sprint for the old werewolf.

He sidestepped her easily, but his attention was now firmly on her. She kept on running, past Theo, whom she gave a friendly punch to as she whizzed by.

"Chimera's in here, right?" Kamilla shouted, slowing to a jog but still nearing the entrance of the factory. With an agitated groan, Gus waved his hand at Theo, gesturing him to follow her.

However, Theo lingered until Gus was halfway to the door of the factory. The werewolf pulled out his phone and scrolled down his contacts.

Ren, who was peering around the corner to see if the coast was clear, turned around to give an irritated glance at Rebecca. Shaking her head, Ren answered her unspoken question by mouthing the word 'Theo'. Irked, she pursed her lips together and sat back on her heels.

Theo pressed the number he wanted to call, and waited. A second went by, then another.

When Ren's phone began to ring, Rebecca's heart nearly leaped right out of her chest. The Satori ripped the device out of his pocket and fumbled with it before dropping it on the ground. Rebecca extended her hand, putting her palm directly over the device, and the silence that followed was jarring. The phone still buzzed as Rebecca forced the sound to stay trapped instead of echoing around the compound.

Cautious despite knowing everyone with ears heard the commotion, Ren peeked around the building they were squatting behind. In all his smug glory, Theo ended the call, giving Ren a knowing look before following Gus and Kamilla.

Ren pressed his tongue against his cheek, and rest his head against the wall. "Who the hell gave him my number?"

"Kamilla?" Rebecca suggested, equally as frazzled.

"I'm gonna kill her," Ren promised. "I'm going to skin her and make werewolf stew."

Engrossed in her thoughts, Rebecca didn't answer. Why the hell did Theo call Ren and not her? And why did he want to know if they were there or not? They didn't plan on going in, Rebecca had chickened out on the ride there. She didn't want to risk pissing off her mom, but she said she would drive Kamilla to the factory at least.

"Now what?" Ren asked, wondering if his friend wanted to drive away now that Theo knew they were here. Rebecca was hesitant enough not to show herself but eager enough to ditch her car way back so the werewolves wouldn't hear her coming.

In response, Rebecca sat down on the ground, staring at Ren's face down cellphone. She bent her knees and rest her elbows on them, a blank expression on her face. Ren took a seat next to her, then picked up his phone and wiped it off.

"Can I ask you something?" Rebecca said, tapping her fingers on her elbow. Ren nodded, but his eyes were still focused on the cement they rested on.

"Did you bring your deck of cards?"

Ren snorted. "Obviously." He brandished a fifty two pack from his coat pocket. Tattered as they were, they were definitely usable. Before he handed them to her so she could shuffled, he raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Stakeout?"

Grinning, Rebecca nodded. "Stakeout indeed."

* * *

It was cold, and the dry air didn't assist their shivering in the slightest. With backs up against a factory wall, they tossed their cards on the ground as quickly as they could. It was so they could go back to hiding their hands in their sleeves, but the breeze wasn't fond of their idea. A huff of air was all it took to send their cards skittering just out of reach.

"Ah! Grab it!" Ren yelped, lurching in the direction of an escaping card but not extending a hand to help. Rebecca, who also didn't want to expose her hands to the frigid air, wriggled her body towards the card. In one last desperate attempt to save it, she fell over. Successfully trapping it under her body, Rebecca crowed in victory.

Ren waited a few seconds for his friend to rise and continue playing. Rebecca, however, seemed content to lay on the ground. Kicking her with his knee, Ren's teeth chattered as he said:

"Get up, you lazy ass."

"No," Rebecca said. "I can't move."

"Oh my _god_ …" Ren began, but sputtered into silence. His ears twitched.

Rebecca sat up, twisting her body awkwardly to look at the Satori, and received a mouthful of hair for her efforts. The wind carried a sound the Ren recognized instantly. He jolted into action, standing up and turning to haul Rebecca to her feet as well.

"What? What?" Rebecca asked, allowing herself to be yanked up. Ren was distracted, listening to the screeching wind. "Is it _them_?"

Shocked at his own heightened abilities, Ren was impatient with her questions. He started to walk away before explaining what had sent him into his trance. That didn't go over well with Rebecca.

"Hey! What the hell…" Rebecca shouted, scrambling to catch up to him. When she did, her hand latched onto his elbow, preventing him from taking another step. Initially, she looked angry, and her mouth opened to chew him out. The wind took a break from howling and suddenly, Rebecca could hear it too.

"That's …" she said, eyes widening.

"Kamilla," Ren finished, taking a step backwards toward the factory entrance. "She's howling."

Rebecca matched Ren's quick pace as he charged toward the door, the shrill sound of their friend's howl ringing in his ears.

Cobwebs and the groaning of rusted metal made Rebecca glance over her shoulder every few seconds. Kamilla had long since stopped howling, the sound dying in an uncertain wobble. Yet Ren blazed down rickety stairs, not bothering to look and see if Rebecca was even following. Every footfall echoed into the darkness that thrived beyond the fluorescent lights.

"Oh God," Rebecca muttered, the cold amplifying despite thin walls separating her from the chilling night. "Ren? Are we close?"

"Rebecca?" Kamilla cried out. Jumping out of her skin, Rebecca's shock was quickly replaced by relief. At least she hadn't stopped howling because … well. "Ren? Rebecca?"

Ren reached her first, but Rebecca was hot on his heels. Kamilla's voice emanated from behind a large support beam, but she was nowhere in sight. The blonde werewolf poked out from the other side, beckoning them closer. She looked stricken.

The knowledge that the support beam was on the ground instead of _supporting_ the building sent Rebecca into another whirlwind of anguish. However, her worrying evaporated from her mind when she saw the state Gus was in; lying unconscious, his legs trapped underneath said beam.

"Holy shit," Rebecca gasped, taking a step forward but not having a clue as to what she could do to help. Seeing him so vulnerable and _unmoving_ crumbled her bravery as well as her ability to stay standing. Falling to her knees beside him, she gingerly outstretched a hand to touch his face. She didn't even hear Kamilla's voice until she began to shake her shoulder angrily.

Snapping her head up, Rebecca shoved Kamilla's hand away. With a clenched jaw and wet eyes, she finally turned to her impatient friend. "What?"

"Don't get mad at me," Kamilla snarled, leaning closer to challenge her. " _I'm_ not the one who trapped him…"

"Both of you, shut the hell up!" Ren shouted, making both of them jump and then bow their heads in shame. "Is he even still alive?"

"Yeah," Kamilla answered quickly, but checked his neck again just in case. "He passed out a few minutes ago…"

"Okay, then we need to get this thing off of him," Ren spoke out loud what all three of them were thinking. Obviously _Kamilla_ couldn't do it, or else it would already be done. Ren couldn't exactly mind control the piece of metal away, so Rebecca rose to her feet.

Kamilla scrambled away, dragging Ren back by the arm. They watched with horrible fascination as Rebecca had no choice but to do what she hadn't done in months. Would she even be able to lift it?

What they didn't know was that the expression on her face didn't have a trace of doubt. Feeling guilty that they would discover her dirty little secret, she took a deep breath. Extending her hand for guiding purposes, she felt her stomach tighten then relax. The howling wind died down to nothing and a hissing noise replaced it. An invisible force swept underneath the beam, separating from the alpha werewolf…

… And she lifted it. Without so much as a bead of sweat, Rebecca picked up the beam and threw it a few feet away. She hadn't moved a muscle, and neither did her audience.

Turning to throw them an unreadable look, she swallowed her shame. They both looked bewildered, but it was Kamilla who spoke: "You never stopped practicing, did you?"

"No," Rebecca answered flatly, hoping that if she didn't react neither would they. Yet she still felt the need to explain herself. "It's not like a bad habit, guys. I can't just _quit_."

"You lied to your mom all this time?" Ren didn't sound angry. Rebecca flinched anyway.

"She doesn't get it," Rebecca whispered, wishing she could look away from them She punished herself by holding their gazes.

Until, that is, it was stolen by a shape that moved just outside the light. Eyes going wide, Rebecca lurched forward instinctively. "Watch out!"

"Shh!" The shape stepped forward with his hands held above his head. Theo dodged Kamilla's punch that she had sent before looking at her target. "She's close by."

Rebecca stood tall in his presence. Her chin was thrust forward, but she listened to his words carefully. Ren looked bitter, probably still aggravated over the whole phone number incident.

"Have any of you seen anything?" Theo quizzed, looking between the three of them earnestly. "She's got these huge spikes on her arm, and she moves fast. Really fast."

"A supernatural creature snooping around in the shadows?" Ren shrugged. "I've only seen one of those." After the pointed look he gave to Theo, Kamilla growled under her breath.

"Otsuka, not here," she ordered.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I have my doubts," Ren snapped. "But I want to know why you _and_ Raeken Boy Wonder weren't able to lift that beam together."

"What the hell do you mean?" Theo demanded. "I was trying to find the damn chimera that we came here to get in the first place…"

"Great job so far, bud," Ren applauded, pretending to salute him. "Why the hell couldn't you find her? I thought you were good at everything?"

Rebecca, who heard a scuffling sound right behind her, whipped her head to the source. Coming face to face with what she assumed was the chimera, all the air left her lungs in one fatal huff. The chimera was a girl her height with eyes that completely black and haunting. Theo had warned she had giant spikes, and that was no exaggeration. As if half scorpion, the chimera had four to five hooks erupting from each arm. If her eyes weren't playing tricks, Rebecca could have sworn they were dripping too. The thing standing before her was a shell of Stacey McLennon.

Staring at the chimera as her friends continued to fight, Rebecca waited for what seemed like forever for the chimera to move. When it upturned its lip menacingly, Rebecca did what instinct commanded her to do:

Step back and punch it straight in the face.

The crunch of Rebecca's knuckles connecting with the chimera's jaw resonated in the factory and forced the chimera to stagger to the side. Realizing what was standing roughly a foot away from Rebecca, Theo and Kamilla leapt into action.

Kamilla, who was closer, brushed past Rebecca and picked the chimera up by the tattered rags that used to be the poor girl's vest. Slamming the chimera into a metal rung, a bloodthirsty growl ripped from her throat. The spikes on the chimera's arm stood straight as she prepared to retaliate.

Theo crept up on the two supernaturals wrestling against the rung. In his pursuit to assistance, he only added an extra glimmer of desperation in Stacey's lifeless eyes. One haphazard scratch from the chimera's spike sent Kamilla screaming to the ground.

Theo distanced himself as quickly as he could, and in the time it took for him to do so, Kamilla was unconscious from the pain. Rebecca shoved Ren towards the path from which they had came. Not forming the command for him to run but creating a blockade with her body so he had no choice but to leave, Rebecca ignored Ren's protests.

His voice in the eerily quiet factory drew the attention of Stacey. Standing in between Ren and the chimera was Rebecca and her twitching fists. Stacey squared her shoulders and bared shark like teeth as Rebecca flared her nostrils.

Theo held as much significance as a shadow in that moment, and even though he had the opportunity to leap forward and try to tackle the chimera, he held his breath instead. Unable to hide the burning curiosity and wonder in his eyes, Theo Raeken couldn't keep his eyes off of Rebecca.

In those few seconds she felt a rush of confidence; she could take out this chimera. Looking into its eyes, she knew. She tuned her ears to focus on the howling wind outside, but before it consumed her, a lightbulb exploded.

Shocking her out of her power trip, Rebecca flinched and stumbled away. The chimera was not fazed, cold and unfeeling. But Rebecca was weighed down by the very human emotion of fear. The electricity reminded her of what had created the thing she stared at. The Dread Doctors; that changed Stacey to the point Rebecca could barely recognize that she had once been human.

Not only that, but common sense made her fingers buzz with adrenaline. She could have made a mistake. She could have hurt someone.

Heeding the advice of not only the voice of Myriam in the back of her mind, but also the prompt from the now dead librarian, she launched herself forward.

The empty shell that once was Stacey jerked forward too, almost upon the strawberry blonde. Yet in at the last second, Rebecca darted to the right and sprinted towards a set of stairs. Hoping as much as her heart could handle, Rebecca practically flew deeper into the heart of the factory.

The thrill of the chase pumped through Rebecca, and the feeling was mutual, according to the guttural howl Stacey omitted before dropping down on all fours and leaping after her.

"Rebecca!" Ren shrieked at the sight of Rebecca being hunted by the chimera. His voice became even louder and more panicked when they disappeared from sight. " _Rebecca!_ "

"You're not doing any good," Theo snapped. Taking out his frustration on Ren was the easiest thing to do, so he rounded on the Satori quickly. "She's gone. You're not doing anything."

Opening then closing his mouth, Ren was silent and slack jawed for only a moment before finding the right words. "You _motherfucker_ -"

"Shut up," Theo warned, walking over to Kamilla and pretending to take her pulse. In reality, his mind was too distracted by Rebecca to worry about anything else. She was, after all, the reason behind the red in his vision. She couldn't just show him her powers and get it over with, could she? She had to make things so much more complicated…

"You have the audacity to tell me to shut up when we both just witnessed that _thing_ … that _thing_ go after … you _saw what happened_!" Ren shouted, sputtering and panicky. He ran his fingers through his hair before stomping towards the staircase Rebecca had raced down minutes ago.

Theo moved quickly, but Ren didn't realize how quickly until Raeken was blocking his path and shoving him backwards. Not to mention how _strong_ Theo was; a light shove sent Ren staggering back.

"What are you doing?" Theo demanded, his voice frighteningly calm. "Are you going to go down there and feel up that thing? Huh? So you can see how much it wants to kill us?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" Ren said. Being more unstable and less physically capable than Theo put him at a clear disadvantage. However, it fogged his mind enough that his statement became a genuine question.

"Stay up here," Theo replied. He pointed at Ren's chest as if the motion underlined his order. "Call for help. Preferably not Rebecca's mom. Make sure Gus and Kamilla aren't dead."

"And you'll go down and save Rebecca?" Ren asked. Anyone but the werewolf in front of him, and his tone of voice would be lighter.

"Yeah," Theo said, offering Ren a chance to argue. As the Satori sealed his mouth shut, Theo allowed himself a moment of smugness. He quickly turned on his heel and descended down the staircase going who knows where.

Frozen for a heartbeat, Ren watched Theo disappear before the howling wind drowned out his ringing ears.

* * *

Always running. She wasn't a bad runner, but the fearing for her life bit could have been removed and there wouldn't be much complaint from Rebecca.

She tried to be smart about her escape; frantically slapping the old metal doors with her hand as she sprinted by. But the chimera charged through the heavy doors as if they were made of styrofoam, so Rebecca eventually stopped trying to slow her pursuer. Instead, she focused on evading capture by taking sharp turns and using Stacey's full out charge against her.

What she would do when she couldn't run anymore was a thought that she couldn't bear to humour herself with. A slow and bloody death was a good motivator to run faster at first, but the ache in her lungs from the musty air drowned out her adrenaline.

Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about running out of breath; she reached a dead end before that could happen. Slapping the light switch with her hand, it took a few heartbeats for the fluroescent lights to sputter to life. The room she ran into was full of transformers and boilers that she didn't see until she was halfway across. With eyes that flit across every crevice but found no escape, Rebecca denied her predicament at first.

No exit.

What?

Rebecca slowed down but didn't stop running. Her head whipped around and she began to chant 'no' under her breath, but no amount of pleading would make an alternate entrance appear.

She kept on running until she slowed to a halt right in front of the main transformer, a carcass of a once magnificent machine.

In horror movies that Rebecca watched on rare occasions, the beast would often slow down before striking. Yet Rebecca knew that she wasn't in a movie, so when she spun around and saw Stacey sprinting full tilt towards her, she shouldn't have been surprised.

Though the sight of a demonic teenager with giant spikes on her arms and coal black eyes did a bit more to Rebecca than the average jump scared would.

She didn't have time to scream. Hell, Rebecca couldn't have reacted any differently if the notion of caution was anything more than a distant idea. Her hair stood up on her head, the normally wavy strawberry blond completely straight as if she had been electrocuted. Stacey, though a second ago in mid air, was blown backwards and sent sprawling to the ground.

After her moment of weakness left her gasping, Rebecca's mind was too blurry to properly fend off the recovering chimera in the same way. Her vision was questionable, but she could spot a weapon when she glimpsed an old crowbar lying about.

Heaving it up, Rebecca realized that she wasn't as strong as she thought. She was thrown off balance by the too heavy object, just as the chimera started hurdling towards her once more.

In a last ditch effort to save herself, Rebecca curled into a ball, abandoning the crowbar and allowing Stacey to sail right over her head and crash into the transformer behind her. The noise of the chimera's crash was enough to throw Rebecca off balance again.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury of slowing down. Though sprawled on the floor, her eyes never stopped scanning the room, looking for something to defend herself with.

She had seen a lever near the entrance, but it looked rusted in its place. There was a twisted piece of metal close to an old boiler. Though Rebecca didn't want to gamble on its smaller size.

What she was willing to place her money on, however, was a fair sized pipe that didn't look too heavy. Too bad there was no way Rebecca would be able to get to it before Stacey got to her.

There was no point in calculating whether she would survive the five second sprint, not when Stacey was hissing and rising to her feet. Rebecca propelled herself on all fours, more worried about survival than the muscle she pulled in her shoulder by doing so.

It didn't take Theo long to track Rebecca down; the deafening clatter of laboured breathing and crashing metal drew him to the old boiler room almost immediately. He stopped right before entering, peering in and seeing Rebecca duck down to grab a pipe on the ground. It was far too thin if she planned on defending herself with it, he mused. Despite watching the chimera get dangerously close to slicing Rebecca like a ribbon, he made no move to help.

Rebecca exhaled sharply as Stacey's arm missed her head by a hair. She aimed to kill, that was obvious.

Spinning around to face her opponent and sliding her feet into a position that distributed her weight evenly, Rebecca swung the pipe like a baseball bat. The chimera took the blow like a champ; stumbling to the side, but throwing her own attack a second later.

An open mouth and bugging eyes were the responses to Stacey's lack of reaction. A square blow to the head and that was _it_?

She was smart enough to dodge Stacey's swipe, but just barely. Shuffling to the right and continuing to shift until she was behind the chimera, Rebecca prayed Stacey didn't have an uber flexible spine. With a smart wack to the kneecap, Stacey should have been on the ground. Instead, she extended her arms and spun around to face Rebecca, spikes up and ready to attack.

At that moment, Rebecca was in a terrible position and both of them knew it. The only exit was on the opposite side of the room, the giant transformer was to her right, and Rebecca was being backed into a corner.

Taking a bold step forward to push the chimera back, Rebecca found herself in an even worse position: the small of her back was being slammed into a railing she hadn't seen before. There was a terrifying moment where Rebecca nearly lost her balance and toppled over the railing to god knows what. Judging by the _whoosh_ of air that emanated from the unwavering darkness, it was a long way down.

Half hidden in shadows, Stacey McLennon was one of the most terrifying things Rebecca had ever seen. When the chimera raised her arms and prepared to bring them down in a one last, fatal blow, Rebecca watched her hair twist. It was scraggly and disgusting, and didn't resemble the beautiful hair that Rebecca saw in Stacey McLennon's old photos at all. Seeing it was just one more reminder that the thing about to murder her was a teenage girl who didn't ask for any of this. What terrified Rebecca, however, was the grim acceptance of what she was going to have to do to her.

The light didn't touch the corner they were in, so when Rebecca's eyes turned solid grey, it was extremely evident that they were glowing. Stacey flinched away from the sight of them. The pain on the chimera's face nearly persuaded Rebecca to back down.

Rebecca thrust her palm into the chimera's chest, and it wasn't the motion itself that threw Stacey back, but the air that was thrown behind the blow. Using the circulation she knew was in the room, Rebecca's job of channeling it to her advantage became easier.

From the doorway came an audible intake of breath from Theo, even though the sound was drowned out by the rush of air gravitating towards Rebecca. Paired with her glowing eyes and practiced stance, she became someone totally different. Theo felt his chest tighten at the spectacle.

Though it wasn't necessary for Rebecca to move her arms while directing the air currents around her, she found it kept things more organized. Trapped in an ethereal dance, she pivoted her body so most of her body was on one leg. Her left arm pointed at Stacey as the other focused on nothing in particular, but just as straight and poised. A gust of wind swirled around her right hand, continuing down her body before being expelled out of the other arm.

When the chimera was hit with the crushing mass of pure oxygen, it found itself temporarily pinned to the floor. It thrashed and shook, but Rebecca never relented.

The feeling in her gut was far from painful. In fact, Rebecca found herself getting high on the sensation of freedom. Freedom to stretch her abilities, albeit in a very confined space. Yet that high was precisely why it was so important for her to yank herself away.

Swinging her right arm around to deliver one final hit, Rebecca couldn't help but ease her hip to the side. The power really was getting to her head.

To pull her out of her reverie, two sickening snaps of bone echoed in the large room. Immediately, Rebecca's eyes stopped glowing, and her face contorted into shock and guilt.

She had accidentally broken both of Stacey's arms instead of knocking her out. The pain was so intense that Stacey passed out almost instantly after gurgling her distress.

Rebecca covered her mouth with her hands, drawing in her limbs. She hadn't just done that, had she?

"What the hell was that?"

" _Ah!_ " Rebecca shrieked as Theo emerged from the doorway, adorned with a look of shock and disgust.

His face showed disdain, but his heart pounded in his ears. What he had just witnessed not only blew his mind, but it roused his stomach into doing backflips. She didn't need to know that, though.

Going white, Rebecca lowered her hands to her sides. She didn't know where to even _begin_. He had seen what just happened. He had caught her in the lie of not knowing about the supernatural. Standing emotionally naked in front of Theo Raeken made her wish she had actually cascaded over that railing.

"You better have one hell of an explanation for this," Theo scoffed with widened eyes and a tightly wound jaw.

* * *

 **I have really no excuse for not writing, so I won't bother you much with the standard "** _ **I had school**_ " **or** " _ **Personal life**_ " **. You know the drill.**

 **Anon: Thank you! How's this? ;)**

 **Larissa B: I've GOT YOU covered, don't even worry :)**

 **Guest: Thanks do much! I'm quite fond of the Theocca dynamic as well. Here's an update!**


	16. McLyin

**Warning: Mentions of child abuse, PTSD, and depression (This warning should have come a lot sooner, I'm sorry)**

* * *

Physically, all that lay between them was an unconscious chimera. Emotionally, however? A bloody and messy wasteland. Rebecca opened her mouth, wishing the right words would come to mind and somehow mend the broken trust in Theo's eyes.

She sealed her lips and let her arms fall limply to her sides.

Theo looked beyond her, letting out a scoff of disbelief and disgust before turning around to check if something was behind _him_. What was he looking for? Cameras? A game show host? This was real, she had lied to him. She wished he'd hurry up and accept it. Insensitive as it was, the bile that rose in her throat forced equally sour thoughts to assault her.

"Rebecca …" Theo said, his voice loud in her ears. "What the hell … what did you …"

"I don't know." Rebecca answered the wrong question. Theo's face contorted in anger.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know?" Theo demanded. "Did you … was that not _just you_ who did … whatever the hell that was?!"

Rebecca bit the inside of her cheek hard and flexed her hands, forcing the remaining adrenaline out of her system. She offered, lamely: "It was me …"

"And?" Rebecca stayed very still as he watched her. "Rebecca, I don't even know what _that_ was."

She was entranced by a piece of floor beside Stacey. It was all she could do other than wish she would cease to exist. Anger overcoming him, Theo paced forward and yelled as loud as he could.

"Rebecca _look at me_!"

Instantly her gaze snapped up and saw flashing yellow eyes. Despite knowing there was no way he could hurt her she took a step back.

At her tiny shuffle backwards and the hesitance in her eyes, Theo straightened. His eyes returned to their normal colour and watched her carefully.

They stared at each other for a long time, the silence choking the life out of both of them. They couldn't talk, couldn't move.

Until Theo broke the spell. He shook his head, looking at the ground as he began to move closer.

Rebecca didn't realize she wanted him to go to her until he didn't. He stopped at the body of Stacey and bent down, picking her up bridal style in one swift motion. Rebecca watched him wordlessly, and continued to until he disappeared into the dark corridor once more.

Only after his footsteps had been drowned out by the hum of the fluorescent lights did Rebecca move. She pivoted slightly, rocking back and forth on her heels before ultimately sinking to the ground and covering her face. There were no tears; she didn't have the strength to conjure them.

* * *

Her journey back to the entrance of the factory was a long one; she got lost twice and moved agonizingly slowly. Facing any of the people on the surface was a burden she wasn't prepared to carry at that moment. Getting this far without losing her mind was feat in itself.

She passed by the fallen pillar and noted that no one was there. Ren and Theo must have gotten them all out already. Tucking the thought to the back of her mind, she continued upwards.

Reaching the entrance, once again there was no one in sight. The day was barely hanging on, a orange and pink line above the trees. The wind had picked up and stung her skin. She let it.

After her car door shut, Rebecca stared at the trees and their shadows, stretching longer and longer as the sun set, hiding who knows what in their midst. She shoved her keys into the ignition none to lightly and then pulled away.

No one took the road leading to the factor, but Rebecca looked to the left out of habit, then pressed the gas before fully looking straight again.

When she was looking at the road in front of her, she had a half second of calm. Then she realized something had flung itself in front of her car.

She hit the breaks too late, letting out a shrill scream of surprise. Then, she hit whatever it was head on, throwing it to the ground a few feet away. Heart pounding, Rebecca stayed exactly where she was. In the almost dead light she couldn't see one hundred percent what it was. It was vaguely humanoid, but if the past few weeks taught her anything, it was that even that could be dangerous.

The thing staggered to its feet, hands above its head. It edged closer, squinting in the illumination of her headlights. Thought smeared with dirt, Rebecca recognized his face. Her heart stopped.

"Rebecca?" he called out, taking another step closer. "Rebecca, it's me. It's Connor."

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened until her arms were shaking from the effort. Still Connor edged closer.

"I know the last time I saw you I put a gun to your head but Rebecca … I need your help. I'm sorry, I need your help …" Connor repeated his mantra of being sorry another few times, but Rebecca tuned him out. She didn't know how to react. After all this time … she didn't know what emotion she was feeling.

"I understand if you hate me," Connor nodded along with his words. "I would too. I just need a ride into town, please. I've been out here for too long …"

She heard him, but she couldn't bring herself to fully hear his pleads. Maybe it was his turn to be at the sharp edge of desperation and anger.

"I can't be out here, not when they're after me." Connor's voice broke. He dropped his hands and placed them on the hood of her car. "Please, I'll do anything."

Rebecca looked straight through him and set her jaw.

* * *

Sitting in her room, alone, Rebecca couldn't physically remove her head from her hands. Regret filled every fibre of her bones and poured out of her eyes in the tiniest, most humiliating amounts.

She allowed the tears to fall down her face and then fall to the ground. The sickening sound of Stacey's arms breaking, one after the other, replayed in her head like a disgusting remix.

The sound of the bathroom opening made her head snap up. She wiped her eyes hastily as someone hesitantly walked into her room.

Connor, looking better now that he had a chance to clean up, still had a frown on his face, but this one was due to the distress on Rebecca's face. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No," Rebecca said quickly, wiping away her snot with her shirt sleeve. "No, sit down."

Connor hesitated, then sat down beside her on the bed. Immediately, Rebecca scooted away and propped up her knee, turning so she could face him head on. All of a sudden, she was antsy. "We need to talk."

"Yeah," Connor replied softly, playing with the plain cotton shirt Rebecca loaned him. It was the largest thing she owned and it fit him like a glove.

He didn't try to begin a story or an explanation or anything, really. Rebecca stared him down but he wouldn't look at her.

"I don't trust you," Rebecca said, effectively breaking the silence but none of the tension.

"I know," Connor replied. There was another pause, but this time she let it happen, only squirming slightly. "I'm sorry."

"You said that already," Rebecca said curtly. She didn't know why she was being so short with him. Not even an hour ago she was doing the same thing to Theo.

"I can't say it enough," Connor said. He finally met her gaze, but could only hold it for a second before staring at her leg between them. "Thank you for this. I would have left me out there."

"I thought about it," Rebecca admitted. Connor smiled. "What?"

"No you didn't."

Rebecca's eyes held unabashed sincerity. "How much do you wanna bet?"

Connor smile was wiped off his face when he looked at her face again. However, she met his slight concern and bewilderment at her coolness with a raise of her eyebrows; a prompt to begin speaking.

He couldn't. Instead, he said: "Before, when I … did that. I blamed you for everything that happened to me. But I know now who it was. So, I'm sorry, Rebecca, I-"

"Who was it?" she interrupted. He looked down at her with doe eyes and she scowled. "Connor, come on, what are you doing? Tell me."

Before he could throw some half assed excuse, the front door whipped open. Myriam was calling Rebecca's name from the bottom of the stairs a second later.

Connor and Rebecca leapt to their feet, panicking before Rebecca put both of her hands on his forearm and shoved him in the direction of her closet. She barely moved him, but he got the message.

"Yes, mom?" Connor turned back before closing the closet door. Rebecca aggressively put her finger over her mouth and made a silent shushing gesture with her lips. The door closed with a quiet _snap_ and Rebecca pointed one straight arm at its oak surface. Instantly air rushed towards it, softly coiling around it like a second coat of paint, effectively hiding Connor's scent.

"Get down here!" Myriam called. She didn't sound too pleased.

Rebecca gave herself a one over in the bathroom mirror before descending down the stairs, checking for any dirt or signs of a scuffle. Fortunately she hadn't missed anything from her initial clean-up.

Rebecca entered her living room and stopped short. Her mother stood, arms crossed in the center of the room next to Mr. Otsuka, but that wasn't what caught her attention: the broken body of Stacry McLennon laid in the middle of her floor, still unconscious and filthier than she remembered. Beside her, sitting on the edge of her sofa was Ren, barely recognizable under a thick coating of grime and dirt. His two brown eyes met hers from across the room. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Ren-?" Rebecca asked, her voice muted and strangled, but needing to make sure that what she was looking at wasn't some mud creature disguised as her friend.

Myriam's anger faded slightly at the sheer shock and horror on Rebecca's face, but she still had to ask: "Do you know anything about this?"

Rebecca tore her eyes away from Ren and looked at her mom incredulously. Something in her stomach spiked, a not so tiny speck of irritation. "What? Mom, no. What happened?"

"She woke up," Ren piped up, sounding exhausted. "Me, Gus, Kamilla, and Theo were getting the chim- Stacey, and they managed to knock her out. But on the ride here she woke up and tried to escape. Kam and Gus were hurt, Theo was driving, so I-"

"Jumped out of a moving vehicle to chase after a bloodthirsty chimera," Kyou finished, looking furious. Rebecca couldn't remember the last time he looked so angry. Ren shrunk under his father's glare.

Rebecca waited for a second, then looked to Stacey, who looked like she was struggling to breathe. Her arms looked as if they had healed from when she had … Anyway, she didn't look like she was sleeping either. Eyelids flickering, she twitched every so often like she was on the brink of death. "What's wrong with her?"

Kyou was still too busy glaring at Ren to answer, so Ren took it upon himself to answer, a bit shakily. "I got close enough to touch it when it attacked me and … I don't know. There was this surge of energy and the next second she was on the ground. Like that."

He finished his story pointing at Stacey's lifeless form. Rebecca looked at Ren curiously.

"And why are you so disgusting?"

Ren rose his eyebrows then furrowed them, obviously embarrassed. "I slipped trying to climb back into Theo's truck."

Rebecca would have laughed had the situation been slightly less sinister. As if reading her mind, Myriam stepped forward, raising one hand in a halting motion.

"Long story short: Ren lost control of his powers and seriously hurt Stacey. She needs to get better so we can find out more about what we're dealing with, and hopefully return her back to her family without the giant spikes on her arms."

Rebecca nodded slowly, not knowing why Myriam looked in Mr. Otsuka's direction before continuing.

"And we're going to do that by getting the help of Mrs. Lovelace-"

"Lori?! Kamilla's stepmom?" Rebecca interrupted, reeling back in confusion. "You're going to tell _her_ about everything-"

"No, obviously not, Rebecca," Myriam shook her head. Her tone, for some reason, struck Rebecca the wrong way. "Me and Mr. Otsuka talked about it on the ride her, after we picked up Ren from the hospital: We're going to have her come over every so often and Kyou will convince her that something else is happening while she helps Stacey-"

"Oh," Rebecca said loudly, not knowing where this sudden brashness came from. "So we're going to brainwash her to do our bidding?"

"What do you suppose we do, Rebecca?" Myriam demanded, sounding exhausted. "Drop her off at a hospital with giant scorpion spikes in her arms?"

Rebecca said nothing, but stared at the ground while silently fuming.

Myriam continued, glancing at Kyou and Ren, who were having their own quiet discussion. "Stacey will be staying with us, and Mrs. Lovelace will be coming over every two or so days to check on her. It'll be strange at first." Rebecca's fists clenched. Maybe it was her exhaustion, maybe it was the day's events, maybe it was left over irritation from her talk with Connor, or maybe it was the way Myriam talked down at her like she was five years old, but her vision was going red. "But it'll only be for a few weeks or so. Okay, Rebecca? Okay?"

Rebecca tried to clam herself down enough to properly respond. Ren and Kyou became silent, watching Rebecca carefully. They could properly sense her rage.

"Rebecca, look at me," Myriam said calmly. A direct contrast to how it was said before, but Rebecca instantly made the connection. Her head rose, mouth curled into what could only be described as a snarl.

"What?" Rebecca shouted, making everyone in the room recoil away from her. "What do you want _now_? How come you don't let me do anything but expect me to _everything_ at the same damn time?!"

Rebecca gave her words only a second to sink in before she angrily turned on her heel and all but sprinted to the door. Myriam called her name, but she needed to leave. As she made her escape, she flew past the broken framed picture of her and her mom on the wall. When she slammed the door shut, it became crooked.

* * *

After climbing into her car, Rebecca dwore she would drive and drive until she reached the end of the earth. Everytime a thought of returning crossed her mind she wanted to scream. Her mom, Gus, almost all of the adults she knew who were scared of her but simultaneously treated her like she was stupid. Connor, who treats her like crap, leaves for weeks with no contact, then comes waltzing back into her life like nothing happened. Or Kamilla who gets to do anything she wanted, or _Theo_. Thinking of Theo made her physically cringe.

Even Ren. Thinking of his grimy and disgusting appearance, how maybe he wouldn't have had to put himself in danger if she had been there with them.

She was a terrible person, a terrible friend, yada yada.

She had to grit her teeth and bend forward to contain the shriek rising in her throat.

Anger was all she felt until she couldn't physically take it anymore. Yet instead of screaming at the top of her lungs, she slammed on the breaks and sat back in her seat.

Panting heavily, Rebecca wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked out of her passenger side window and couldn't bring herself to be angry anymore. Police tape and boarded up windows muted every emotion she could possibly feeling at that moment.

583 Montgomery Place never was a summer villa, but at that moment it was just plain haunted. In a twisted way, it looked like the house that a Wendigo should live in.

Rebecca stared up at it for a second before ducking under the police tape and going inside.

The smell, putrid and nauseating and horrible as it was, barely bothered Rebecca as she numbly walked past everything on the main floor, not allowing the memories of finding Connor's family to hinder her.

She climbed the stairs and took a right, entering a bedroom she had been in a hundred times. It felt awkward, being in there, so she turned on the light and patted her jeans for a few seconds. Finally, she mustered enough courage and sat down on the bed.

Connor was like her in the way he wasn't huge on interior decorating. One lone jersey hung on the cracked wall. Rebecca remembered when Connor told her the story of how his father had threw him into that wall after getting drunk one day. She had been mortified, even though he was already in prison. Connor told her not to worry, that he couldn't be hurt like that anymore.

Yet Connor was always hurt. He woke up with that hurt, smiled with it, carried it wherever he went. There was a reason he hated alcohol and when his teammates jokingly slapped his helmet. Connor would never stop hurting, not ever.

Rebecca brought her knees up to her chest. She always liked Connor. He hid the hurt as well as she did. Or, as well as she used to.

In that moment, she hated him a little bit. He had been through hell, then a whole other plane of torture, and he only exploded once. His explosion did include pointing a gun to her head, but at least he didn't have to deal with the aftermath of it all.

Rebecca, however, carried the hurt and everyone's intrusive eyes, wondering if she was alright.

She wasn't alright. She would never be alright, not really. She would always have that hurt. Always have that anger, that fear.

"He's dead," Rebecca chanted, squeezing herself tightly in a house that was filled with the most lost and desolate ghosts. "He's not here. He's dead."

 _He's you_ the ghosts seemed to chant right back. _He's you. That's how it works. He's you …_

Rebecca covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, voice getting louder with every word. "He's not me. He's dead, he can't hurt me anymore."

Suddenly Rebecca began to shake, the floorboards groaning as tears streamed down her face. "He's not my problem anymore. He can't hurt me."

Yet just like Connor, she knew that every day, until the day she dies, he will. Her father will hurt her in everything she does. Every time she yells, because he used to all the time. Every time she attacks, because he knew how to hurt people so very well.

And the ghosts were right, he was her, in a way. That was why everyone was so scared of her. They remember the pain and look at her, and remember. They look at Rebecca, unable to differentiate her emotions anymore, and see a tempest of danger that could blow up in their faces any second, just like her father did, not so long ago.

Suddenly, her hair stood straight up, all around her head. Her eyes began to glow once more. The whistle of wind and the buzz of power pulsed through the house. Rebecca screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound amplified her power and made it shoot out like invisible lasers, cutting through everything it came in contact with.

The wall in front of her was the first to go. It collapsed, practically disintegrating immediately. Then an ugly crack ripped through the roof. After that, it was hard to distinguish exactly what was happening as the house collapsed in on itself. Cement, wood, and drywall crumbled like burnt paper.

She kept on screaming until she physically could not. Her hair fell flat, and she was delicately placed on top of the remains of the house of Connor MonHeim. She stood, panting, for a few seconds, knowing the neighbourhood had its eyes on her.

Rebecca stepped off of the rubble and brushed off her shirt, raising her chin and looking straight up at the moon; a silent challenge. After waiting a heartbeat, Rebecca walked to her car and got in, though her footsteps felt lighter than they had in weeks.

She drove off, the pain in her mind subdued for the moment.

* * *

 **This chapter was unexpected for me too. I had a plan but didn't follow it for some reason. Anyway, all is well, I hope everyone is having a good summer!**

 **Guest: Thank you so much! I hope this is good :)**

 **pinkdoughnuts: This was a fairly quick update since when you commented, so I hope that was good on you. Thank you so much for everything you said! It means a lot to me, especially when I have trouble coming back to this story sometimes. As for Theo and Rebecca, they've still got a story that I would be damned if I didn't tell. :)**


	17. Rebecca and the Terrible, No Good Day

The air crackled with electricity. Theo stalked towards it despite every one of his senses warning him against it. He descended down a short staircase and grounded himself among the Dread Doctors by placing his feet apart and crossing his arms.

"You haven't gotten your latest yet," Theo pointed out. No one seemed to be paying attention to him. "She was taken by the Satori and-"

"We know," the Spectacle Doctor said, a loud hissing noise punctuating the finality in his voice.

Theo tossed his next words around in his mind for a minute before annunciating them. "And what about Rebecca?"

He was met with no response, but dare he say it, he dreaded to hear one.

A Doctor who wasn't facing him breathed out slowly. Another one mimicked the sound, only louder. Theo ground his teeth together, but before he could voice his frustration the last Doctor cut through his thoughts.

"Failures."

"B-both?" Theo cleared his throat and tried again, embarrassed. "Both? So you're going to kill them both?"

"The Unknown Positive is not compatible," the Doctor continued.

"The Unknown Negative," the second Doctor corrected.

"The Unknown Negative will be disposed of," the Doctor said. "In time."

Theo clenched his jaw. "Let me take care of her."

His statement was once again met with eerie silence, apart from the occasional drip of something unpleasant from deep within the workshop.

"If she isn't compatible, then you don't need her," Theo pressed, feeling the need to explain himself to the expressionless beings in front of him. "But I do. I just need time."

More silence. The Doctor with the spectacles turned and looked at him head on, but said nothing.

"Time?" the Doctor farthest away asked, facing away still.

"Like a month or so, maybe less, maybe more," Theo said.

"And you will dispose of it?" If the Doctors did not speak in such monotone, there might have been a glimmer of disbelief in its voice.

"Not dispose, but neutralize," Theo said, his mind speeding up as hundreds of ideas began to weave themselves in his head.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The Doctor farthest away turned towards him slowly, seeming to rotate in mid-air. When its glassy eyes finally bore into Theo, the werewolf faltered. After a pause that was too tense to only be moments, it let out a slow hiss of steam, deeper and more pensive than the last.

"Neutralize," it said.

A smile broke Theo's blank face and he turned before they could change their minds.

* * *

Elbow on the windowsill, Rebecca could see a new reporter visiting the remains of Connor's house. Knowing she was perfectly visible, she stared without restraint as the young woman gestured to the rubble and spouted some garbage about someone demolishing it to cover the tracks of the serial killer in the town.

She was resting her chin on her fist, serene but dumbfounded at how people stretch to put things within their grasp of knowledge as if they know everything.

A wet nose nudged her knee and she didn't flinch. Absently, she reached out and stroked the rottweiler's ear.

The reporter wrapped up filming and Rebecca watched as the mic dropped to her side carelessly. She didn't look back at the house once, making a beeline to her car. Her face was flat and exhausted. Rebecca didn't react, but watched carefully.

The Rottweiler irritated that Rebecca became too distracted to pet her, started to whine. Finally tearing her eyes away, Rebecca looked at the dog with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Hey, you needy mut, stop that," Kamilla called from across the room, sifting through her closet.

Rebecca let a small huff of laughter escape. She brought her other hand to the dog's head, scratching both her ears at once. "Needy mut? Is that your new name?"

"Bailey, is Rebecca patronizing me?" Kamilla asked the dog, turning to shoot them a glance. "Attack her if she makes fun of my indecisiveness again."

"You wouldn't attack me, would you, Rico?" Rebecca said, making kissy faces at the dog. "Besides, she only responds to Jameson."

"Bailey!" Kamilla exclaimed. "Bite out her throat!"

Rebecca, feigning falling to the ground in agony, let Bailey lick at her face. She allowed herself to laugh as freely as possible. There was no Mrs. Lovelace to barge in and scold them for being too loud. After the initial laughter wore off, Rebecca still had the ghost of a smile on her face, but the fact that she knew Mrs. Lovelace was at her house thinking who knows what soured the mood. Rebeca half-heartedly pet Bailey trying to swallow the bad taste in her mouth.

"Found it!" A leash hit her in the face and snapped her out of her reverie. Kamilla, the pitcher, was already turning to grab her coat. Rebecca wordlessly clipped the leash onto Bailey's collar, giving her one last good ear scratch before standing and following Kamilla out of the door.

Kamilla's phone went off as she stepped out of the house and so distracted that Rebecca had to dive forward to the door wouldn't crush her and Bailey. Although it was a cloudy day and too cold to be properly comfortable, Bailey was ecstatic to go for a walk as per usual.

Rebecca looked at the forest. Kamilla cried out in surprise.

Rebecca spun around as Bailey lunged towards her owner under duress. Rebecca's hackles lowered as she heard Kamilla's laughter and saw Theo holding her, clearly having just jumped out from behind something and scared her. However, Bailey was less at ease. Still jumping and snarling at the new arrival, Rebecca did her best to calm her down but was struggling.

Rebecca appreciated the distraction, though, because watching Theo hug and tease Kamilla made something in her chest twinge. Eventually, Bailey's barking broke the moment. Pulling away from Theo, Kamilla bent down to console her distraught pet. Funnily enough, Rebecca chose to watch that interaction instead of looking up at Theo, whom she didn't know would be joining them.

She tried to voice this surprise and feeling of betrayal through her facial expression, but Kamilla played dumb when she stood up. "Okay! Let's go."

As hard as Kamilla tried, she couldn't get Rebecca to fully enter any conversation, even when Theo asked where Ren was.

"With his dad, at Rebecca's," Kamilla said, jerking her head towards Rebecca, who had strayed away from the two others, allowing Bailey to yank her closer to the trees. "He said his dad was going to train him a bit using Lori."

"Oh yeah?" Theo said, seeming happy to ignore Rebecca. "Like, learning new techniques and stuff?"

"Sorta," Kamilla replied, kicking a stick that was in her way.

Rebecca, a look of disdain on her face, tried to hide her expression so she wouldn't start an argument. Kamilla noticed anyway.

"What?" Rebecca pretended she didn't hear her. "Oh my God, not this again. Come on, Rebecca. If anyone deserves it it's her."

Not saying a word, Rebecca gave her long glare, then turns her attention back to Bailey peeing against a bush.

"That was pretty wild what Ren did to that chimera," Theo said. "Is killing people part of his power spectrum?"

"Rebecca knows him best," Kamilla offered. Theo and Rebecca hadn't spoken in a week or so, what exactly was she trying to accomplish?

"I wasn't asking Rebecca," Theo says shortly. Rebecca sucked in her cheeks slightly and grimaced, but wouldn't turn away any further.

"Ren's a Satori, a.k.a. an ancient Japanese monkey-like creature that used to read people's minds faster than they could think it," Rebecca said matter-of-factly, angling her head so she could be heard clearly, but wouldn't have to look at either of them. "They used this to trick and eat people. Those are Ren's ancestors. His abilities have evolved so that he has to touch someone to read minds-"

"Yeah, pretty sure we know that already," Theo interrupted.

Rebecca stopped walking, turning to face Theo dead on while continuing to speak, louder this time. "But he's also evolved so that he can distort memories and perceptions with the right training."

Theo looked at her and raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Thanks for the useless history question which totally didn't answer my question."

"Woah," Kamilla tried to step between them, but Theo moved so he wouldn't break eye contact with Rebecca.

"Then use your head," Rebecca shook her head. "If someone can sift through your memories, what makes you so certain they can't go through your mind and accidentally change your memories that taught you how to function as a normal human being?"

"All I'm hearing is that you know just as much as everyone else" nothing," Theo watched as Rebecca puffed up in annoyance. "How about you educate us about something you do know about; what the hell you are."

"Hey!" Kamilla shouted, pushing Theo backward by the shoulders. He stepped back but regained his balance quickly. "It's not that simple, stop being an asshole."

Theo, miffed at Kamilla taking Rebecca's side, rounds on her. "If she's got an explanation, I have time to hear it."

Rebecca clicked her tongue and kept walking, feeling Theo's eyes burning the back of her neck.

"Lay off," Kamilla warned, gaining Theo's attention by flashing her blue wolf eyes at him. She too continued walking. After a second of looking at the ground to secure control of his temper, Theo followed.

* * *

The rest of the walk was uneventful, Rebecca walking quicker than Theo so she had an excuse to not look in his direction until Kamilla eventually told Theo it was best he left. Kamilla only chastised Rebecca gently after he was totally out of earshot. It was nothing Rebecca hadn't told herself; she knows she should have told him earlier.

To distract herself from her and Theo's altercation earlier that day, she busied herself tending to Connor, who had taken up temporary residence in her closet after Rebecca physically stopped him from leaving.

"I'm sorry," Connor said for what seemed like the millionth time. Rebecca was sewing up a hole he made in her shirt with her mother's old needle. She didn't look up or even grunt to acknowledge him.

He watched as she held up the cotton shirt, inspecting to see if the hole was properly sealed. Dissatisfied, she brought it back to her desk and continued to work.

"Did I do something? Something else, I mean?" Connor asked. He shivered slightly as the cool air leaking through the window was starting to get to him. "Do you need to keep that open?"

If his words affected her he couldn't tell. With intense precision, she rolled her tongue over her lip and remained working.

"You deserve to be mad at me, I know, but you can't ignore me forever."

She ripped the needle out of the fabric and grabbed her scissors. Connor couldn't see what else she did before she turned around. Instead of spinning around and talking to him, she threw the shirt directly at his face then stood up and grabbed her backpack. She walked to the bed and began to rifle through her books.

A few minutes passed and he hung his head. Looking up only to see a completely apathetic face, he rested his elbows on his knees and focused on the floor.

"I've always liked you, Becks," Connor said quietly. "And I accept that it's always just gonna be me. I don't want to make you upset, but I have to do something you're not going to like."

The reply this time was instantaneous. "Like what?"

"I said I've accepted that none of this is your fault," he said. "I want to kill the person who is. And I know-"

"You're not just going on a rampage," Rebecca said, her voice too passionate for her apathetic act to hold up.

Connor looked up at her again, seeing a scowl but welcoming it nonetheless. It was something, at least. "Remember when you used to drive me home from football games?"

Rebecca looked away again with an over exaggerated sigh. Pretending to still look for something, her ears were open to receive what Connor had to say.

"Or when we used to just hang out after school and talk? I miss that."

"I'm not just going to let you kill someone," Rebecca said, finality in her voice. She glanced over at him but decided she would crumble if she held his gaze. "Whoever it is."

"I can't tell you," Connor said, reading her thoughts. "I need to do this."

Rebecca opened her mouth just as a loud crash from downstairs scared her out of her skin. Connor leaped to his feet. They waited for a second and heard timid shuffling.

Rebecca deflated. "It's just Mrs. Lovelace."

Connor made a snarling sound in his throat while slipping the t-shirt back onto his body. "That demon woman used to yell at my brother for playing too loudly in our backyard."

"Well," Rebecca started, trying to think of something to say to ease his mind. The only thing that came to mind was to regurgitate the same thing her mom kept on telling her: "At least now she's doing something useful for the world."

Connor looked down at her, only physically. His eyes softened looking at her. "You are too."

Rebecca looked up at him, uncomfortable at the sudden change in his mood. Glancing away, then back at him only to see the same intense glare, she looked at her bag again. "Yeah."

Connor hesitated before sitting down again. There was nothing he could say. He felt this separation between him and Rebecca and it made a wave of fatigue come over him. He rubbed his face.

Despite seeing the discomfort on Rebecca's face, Connor spoke: "I owe you everything for what you've done for me."

"No." Was Rebecca's heartfelt reply. "We're even."

"For what?" Connor scoffed. "I would have eaten half the town by now-"

"For this summer," Rebecca said quickly. "I was struggling. You struggled. We helped each other, and now we're even." Connor looked hurt, even if he suspected her monotone was forced. "Don't sweat it."

"So if another druid comes to town, I don't have to help again?" Connor asked, stilling Rebecca by simply mentioning it. "If Ren and his whole family are about to be sacrificed to dark druids I should kick my feet up and do nothing?" If-"

"Shut up, Connor," Rebecca said, her voice laced with an unspoken threat. "I'm not in the mood."

"Why not?" Connor said, much more softly this time. He gave her time to answer. After a few minutes passed he thought she just wasn't going to.

He stood up, ready to walk to the closet and sleep on a pile of Rebecca's old clothes like he was slowly getting used to. She spoke to his back, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"I don't confide in people that I don't trust."

"Bullshit," he replied. He could practically sense her swelling in indignation.

"Care to explain what that means?" she asked quietly, clenching her fists so tightly her palms started to sting.

"You'd cut yourself open if someone told you it would make them feel better."

She shook her head, scowling bitterly. "Don't pretend you know me. Don't say anything about me ever again."

"Goodnight, Rebecca," Connor said, opening her closet door and stepping inside. Chest starting to heave, she picked up her nearest textbook and flung it at the closing door. The sound was loud but gratifying as she proceeded to yank her hair out of her skull.

* * *

Lori Lovelace halted all movement upon hearing a loud crash from the upstairs. In a dreamlike state, she looked up and stared at where she guessed the noise came from. First what sounded like growling, and now this?

She looks back down and stares at the unconscious girl's arm. Those are .. spikes. They can't be. Can they?

Her eyes then turned to a cabinet by the stairs. If she goes over and opens it, she'll definitely find Myriam's guns. She could walk a few steps over and investigate.

However, her mind was too cloudy to do anything other than sanitizing wounds like she was supposed to.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!**

 **pinkdoughtnuts - Theo's 100% a filthy liar, continued in this chapter and to be continued forever. Also, yes poor Connor. As for Theo and Rebecca ... what a wild ride. Thank you for the comment yet again!**

 **lizselwyn - You're back! It was refreshing to shamelessly write her powers, as well as more Theocca! I'm glad you're still on board :)**

 **Leanna - Here's an update, even if it's a little late!**

 **Solar4Souls - I suppose I just didn't have any motivation, but here I am and here you go!**


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